Thousands of protesters have poured on to the streets of Buenos Aires after Argentina’s new president announced a far-reaching emergency decree containing dozens of controversial economic measures – a move one prominent critic compared to the actions of an absolute monarchy.
Javier Milei, a radical libertarian economist who was inaugurated less than a fortnight ago, won power promising a dramatic shake-up of Argentina’s moribund economy amid rampant inflation and widespread poverty. On Wednesday night Milei appeared on television, flanked by 12 stony-faced ministers and top officials, to unveil a decree he claimed would haul the South American country out of “the economic hell we are now living through”.
Milei’s order opened the door for the sale of government-owned businesses, eliminated certain labor protections such as maternity leave, removed restrictions on exports, and modified housing rental and land ownership regulations to permit foreign investments. Additionally, Milei acknowledged the support of wealthy conservative figure Elon Musk, who backed his campaign, by proposing revisions to Argentina’s satellite internet industry that would facilitate the participation of companies like Starlink.
Today marks a significant day for our nation. After years of disappointments, poverty, decay, and isolation, we are officially beginning the journey towards rebuilding,” Milei declared while presenting his “chainsaw” shock therapy proposal.
Last week, Milei caused the currency of Argentina, the peso, to decrease in value by over 50% and halted all government construction projects. He stated that his country was in need of a swift change in direction in order to prevent potential disaster and hyperinflation. This change will commence immediately.
The measures brought joy to followers of the eccentric, extreme-right leader, who is frequently likened to previous American and Brazilian presidents, Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. “This is one of the happiest moments of my life,” shared supporter Ramiro Marra on Twitter.
However, their actions angered the opposing party and numerous individuals, who promptly expressed their disapproval by making noise with pots and pans from their balconies following the president’s 9pm speech. The dissent quickly escalated to street demonstrations, with citizens obstructing roads in various areas of the city. By early Thursday morning, thousands of protestors had gathered in the square outside of congress, where Milei had been inaugurated on December 10th.
The crowd chanted, “Milei! You are trash! You represent dictatorship!”
Carola Gómez, a 55-year-old historian and protester, expressed frustration, exclaiming that the person in question believes they are a Roman emperor. She also compared their actions to those of the military dictatorship and stated that it is even worse than the policies of Margaret Thatcher.
Prominent leftist and former presidential candidate Myriam Bregman criticized the edict as a “battle plan against working people” and called for a nationwide strike to take place immediately. She took to Twitter to express her concerns, stating that there are numerous illegalities in the decree and accusing Milei of using it to circumvent congress.
Juan Grabois, a prominent figure in the social and political sphere, stated that Milei had declared the implementation of “a complete monarchy… determined to utilize powerful weaponry to target the middle and working classes of the country.”
Prior to Milei’s statement, many hours earlier, a large group of demonstrators had paraded through the streets of Argentina’s capital city, marking the first significant protest against their recently elected government. The event was met with a strong display of authority from law enforcement, as they flooded the streets of Buenos Aires in response to Milei’s administration’s promise to eliminate piquete protests, where protesters obstruct roads as a form of dissent.
The first protest against Milei was not as successful as anticipated, with a lower turnout. Some believe this could be due to the government’s warning of reducing benefits for those who disrupt traffic.
However, the president’s televised statement resulted in a larger and unplanned outburst of frustration as demonstrators gathered at the Plaza del Congreso from various parts of the city, holding kitchen tools, whistles, and Argentinian flags.
Gómez arrived at the protest armed with a miniature pot and spatula, ready to express her frustration. She couldn’t help but wonder what she would do if she got caught by the police, considering the recent limitations on public demonstrations. “I’ll just tell them I’m baking a cake,” she joked, before her expression turned grave. “It’s ridiculous that we have to justify carrying cooking utensils… it feels like we’re living under a state of emergency,” Gómez expressed her grievances.
Gabriel Solano, a 49-year-old leader of the left-wing party Partido Obrero, promised to oppose Milei’s efforts to implement economic policies without seeking approval from Congress. He also stated that people from the working and middle classes in Argentina are starting to realize their mistake in choosing the extreme economist.
Solano stated that there has been a shift in people’s attitude, as many are coming to the realization that the current situation is not what they had anticipated and that the austerity measures are significant.
Milei attempted to reduce the impact of the protest that took place late at night. He stated on a local radio station that the participants appeared to be affected by Stockholm syndrome. The president argued that they were enamored with the economic system that was causing their poverty, but he also noted that they were not representative of the majority of Argentines. He further announced that more extreme measures were coming, saying, “There’s more to come. You will find out soon.”
Source: theguardian.com
