BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Just days after taking office, Argentine President Javier Milei's government announced drastic economic measures that angered some social and labor groups and warned it would crack down on any protests that block roads.
On Wednesday, the right-wing populist will be tested for the first time over how his government responds to demonstrations after those groups called on people to protest against economic shock measures that Milei said were necessary to address Argentina's severe crisis.
The shocks include a 50 percent devaluation of the Argentine peso, cuts in energy and transportation subsidies and the closure of some ministries. They come amid rising inflation and increasing poverty.
Milei Security Minister Patricia Bullrich unveiled a new “protocol” for maintaining public order that allows federal forces to evict people blocking roads without a court order and authorizes police to evict people who protest and public Block traffic routes, identify them by video or digitally. It can charge them for the costs of mobilizing the security forces.
The new protocol aims to prevent blockades, particularly in Buenos Aires, where regular protests often block streets for hours, commonly known as “piquetes.”
Some groups say the protocol goes too far and criminalizes the right to protest.
On Tuesday, Argentine labor, social and human rights groups signed a petition calling on the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to take action against the new security protocol. The petition says this is “incompatible with the rights to freedom of assembly and association, freedom of expression and social protest enshrined in the country’s constitution.”
The Argentine government went a step further this week, announcing on Monday that people who block roads could be removed from the list of social assistance benefits if they are on such a list.
“To the beneficiaries of social plans: be clear that no one can force you to demonstrate, even if they threaten to take away your plan,” said Sandra Pettovello, head of the newly created Ministry of Human Capital, where the former ministries of labor, education and social development.
“Protesting is a right, but also the right of people to move freely through Argentine territory to go to their place of work,” she said.
In Argentina, some people receive social support directly from the government, while others receive support through social organizations with direct ties to federal offices. Milei's government says many of these groups are using this to force people to take part in protests in exchange for support.
Polo Obrero, who represents the unemployed, is one of the social groups that called for the protests on Wednesday. Its leader Eduardo Belliboni said Milei's government planned to crack down on “the right to protest.”
In Buenos Aires, people were called to protest and marched from Congress to the historic Plaza de Mayo. The march coincides with the 22nd anniversary of a protest against the government's handling of the economic crisis, which left dozens dead and led to the resignation of then-President Fernando de la Rúa
A recent survey by the Observatory of Applied Social Psychology at the University of Buenos Aires found that 65% of respondents agreed with banning the blockades.
Milei, a 53-year-old economist who became famous on television with vulgar tirades against what he called the political caste, became president with the support of Argentines disillusioned by the economic crisis.
Argentina has an annual inflation rate of 161% and four out of ten people are poor. The South American country also has $45 billion in debt to the International Monetary Fund.