During the Periodo de facto (the military juntas of 1966–1973 and 1976–1983) and in a university environment, Varsavsky maintained a consistent democratic attitude – even during the incident that is known as “ la noche de los bastones largos ” in which the military of Juan Carlos Onganía government attacked the Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences of Buenos Aires. Students, graduates and professors were beaten with the aim of dismantling the reformist project of building a university of science of excellence.