Thousands of people marched on Wednesday in front of the Buenos Aires congress in support of pensioners. Unlike the demonstration of a week ago, marked by the presence of football fans And without a clear organization, this time they occupied the place of state unions, social movements and parts of the extreme left. Many more structured, the groups have lined up in specific points with the intention of avoiding accidents last Wednesday, when a hundred demonstrators ended up imprisoned and there was a dozen injured. Seven days after that demonstration, the photographer Pablo Grillo is discussed between life and death After receiving the blow of a petrol pump in the head. This time, it was totally different: when the sun fell to Buenos Aires, the march disperse peacefully.
The government, however, had prepared for the war. The speech of the hard hand is the one that enjoys and feels better. It is also he who covers more in his electorate. Already on the eve, the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, organized a meeting with The government strategist, Santiago Caputo, and state intelligence garments. In the afternoon, the photos of about thirty alleged courageous bars that accused of interpreting the accidents seven days ago spread in nets. To complete the combination, the minister offered a reward of $ 10,000 to those who reported the violent during the event.
The intimidation operation started very early, with the intention of preventing people from adding to the demonstration. The screens of all railway stations, the most effective and fast means to enter the capital from the outskirts, showed a warning in the capital letters of the first hour: “The protest is not violence. The police will repress any attack on the Republic”. In the event that a passenger was distracted, the message played throughout the day from the high speakers.
The official warnings did not discourage the demonstrators. Some added helmets, swimming glasses and scarves to protect yourself with the possible launch of tear gas. Others arrived in the square with fear, but immediately realized that the atmosphere was very different from that of a week ago. The pensioners felt raised by the absence of tension and celebrated the massive accompaniment to their claim of decent pensioners. “We will all retire”, “his struggle today is ours tomorrow”, he could be read in university students and workers who joined the march. The minimum retirement in Argentina does not reach 300 dollars and three out of ten people over 65 lives in poverty.
Football enthusiasts were present again, in particular those of Chacarita, the club that turned on the spark with which the protest that A handful of pensioners celebrated every Wednesday almost without an echo of the media. 15 days ago, Chacarita fans called to mobilize to defend retirees and a week later, the other clubs repeated the gesture. Fans criticize that the government accuses the courageous bars, since violent fans are known in Argentina, having starred in the disorders around the congress. “What can we expect from a government that is in every way? It is clear that what you are looking for is to criminalize the protest with all types of ridiculous stereotypes,” says Hugo, one of the Chacarita fans who was behind the initial call.
Wound transit
The government also sold to its obsession to guarantee free traffic and from nine in the morning prevented the car access and public transport in 40 apples surrounding the congress. The demonstrators had to pass a series of checks to cross the perimeter, while the anti -Somemossa police repeated with megaphones the warning that there would have been repression if the march became violent. In the meantime, Milei has followed the entire operation from a pink house armored by the police.
The president had a double interest. In addition to following the police operation deployed in less than 15 roads by the Government headquarters, he had his attention in the session of the deputies who finally approved the decree which, with its signature, authorizes him to agree on a new financial rescue With the International Monetary Fund. The session was proof of deterioration that Argentine politics suffers, with insults, screams and even a deputy of the government party, Libertad advances, increasing the president of the Chamber with a megaphone, which is from the same group.
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