The government wants to combat violence by increasing penalties against criminals, siding with citizens who defend themselves, and protecting police officers. At the same time, the antiblockade protocol is being strengthened, which prohibits the blocking of avenues and streets as a form of protest.
The new project expands the interpretation of the right to defense of a victim of a crime. In the case of a police officer, an agent also has more freedom of action against criminals. Resisting authority and assaulting a police officer are punishable by increased prison time.
Controls at demonstrations are also being tightened. Demonstrators must inform the government of a protest. The government, in turn, can reject the application for security reasons and suggest changes to the location and date. Anyone who blocks a road in protest can expect to be effectively arrested. Organizers will be held accountable even if they do not participate in the protest.
“Order on the streets has very high popular support (75%), and the President has made this flag a campaign slogan. There is great discredit for social organizations that have turned poverty into a business through the use of blockades. On average, they charge 10% of the value of social plans and require beneficiaries to participate in protests if they do not want to lose their plans,” analyst Patricio Giusto, one of the largest experts in the field, tells RFI.
Since 2009, Patricio Giusto's consulting firm Diagnóstico Político has been a reference when it comes to measuring social conflicts.
Every year there are more than 6,000 blockades of avenues and streets across the country, most of them in the city of Buenos Aires. There were a record number of 8,861 lockdowns in 2022. As of November 2023, there have been 7,769 blockades, with August being the month with the most protests with this modality: 882. In November there were 568 blockades nationwide, of which 50 were in the city of Buenos Aires. There are almost two blockades a day on the main streets of the Argentine capital.