Argentina's police step up their response to growing anti-government protests
A confrontation between Argentine authorities and anti-government protesters outraged over President Javier Milei’s deep cuts to state spending has escalated, as protesters blocking the capital’s key thoroughfare were forcibly dispersed and eight of the movement’s participants arrested
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A confrontation between Argentine authorities and anti-government protesters angered by President Javier Milei's spending cuts escalated on Wednesday, as protesters blocking the capital's key thoroughfare were forcibly dispersed and eight of the movement’s participants arrested.
In a rare move, riot police officers deployed powerful water cannons, drenching demonstrators. Argentines demanding more food for soup kitchens hurled sticks and stones, set garbage cans alight and paralyzed the main street of Buenos Aires in defiance of new legal changes banning roadblocks.
Strikes and protests have gripped the country in recent weeks as Argentines, struggling to cope with Milei's painful austerity measures amid soaring inflation, vent their anger and despair on the streets. Bus drivers plan to strike on Thursday.
Burnishing a tough-on-crime image, Milei's right-wing government passed new measures last December empowering security forces to arrest and disperse protesters who block roads. Milei has also threatened to withdraw social assistance from those accused of disrupting traffic. Critics — including a team of United Nations human rights experts — have criticized the restrictions as civil liberties violations.
