Protesters clash with police as they try to enter Buenos Aires

This Monday (18), demonstrators protesting against Javier Milei's government were received with “tear gas, fire hydrant trucks and batons” while trying to enter Buenos Aires. In addition to the capital, protests are taking place in different regions of the country.

With posters that bore the phrase “hunger doesn’t wait, it’s enough to adjust”, crowds – organized by the Union of Workers of the Popular Economy (UTEP) – were trying to enter the capital of Argentina, when, on the Puyerredón and Saavedra bridges, they were blocked by federal authorities. Protesters and journalists from the Argentine channel A24 were attacked by police officers.

“Tear gas, fire hydrant trucks and batons. Once again, the government chooses violence against demonstrations and repeats its fury with press workers”, denounced the Human Rights organization Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS).

The Protestants, who according to Infobae numbered around 5,500, renounce “complete lack of government response to the food emergency and the adjustment of the popular economy”, according to UTEP.

Police repression

#AHORA : Security forces repress demonstrations demanding food policies to alleviate the social crisis. pic.twitter.com/Y1eoS7zprq

— UTEP (@UTEPoficial) March 18, 2024

_{Protesters clash with federal authorities as they try to enter Buenos Aires. (Video: Reproduction/X/@UTEPoficial).}

The police repression was part of a series of protocols imposed by the country's Security Minister, Patricia Bullrich, to prevent traffic blockages. This Monday (18), with the demonstration of left-wing parties and movements, 500 blockades were proposed in different areas of Argentina.

The “anti-picket” protocol, announced by the minister in December last year, provided for the use of “force proportional to resistance” to combat blockades and protests. Additionally, Bullrich stated that participants could face fines and sanctions.

On the social network X, formerly Twitter, Mayor Jorge Macri praised the action of the Buenos Aires police and stated that “order cannot be negotiated”, in addition to emphasizing that “It is a priority that there be peaceful coexistence between those who need to move freely to work and study, and those who want to demonstrate.”

Hunger in Argentina

The main motivation for this Monday's protest (18) is the complaint that the government would not be sending food to community kitchens in vulnerable areas by order of the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello.

There are reports of community soup kitchens that had received supplies for the last time in November and that they were depending on donations to serve the population. According to social organizations, in contrast, more and more Argentines are turning to these kitchens to make at least one meal a day.

The hunger situation in Argentina worsened drastically after the signing of the Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU), which led to inflation of 211%, in addition to increasing poverty from 49.5% in December 2023 to 57.4% in January and increase the value of food.

Featured photo: Protesters clash with federal authorities as they try to enter Buenos Aires. (Playback/X/@UTEPoficial).