Thousands of protesters – including scientists, doctors, LGBT+ rights activists, people with disabilities and others – joined Argentina’s pensioners on Wednesday, boosting the retirees’ weekly demonstration against President Javier Milei’s austerity measures.
Rallying under a call of unity, demonstrators gathered outside a heavily barricaded Congress building under tight security in Buenos Aires. They carried slogans such as “Cruelty cannot be faced alone” and “Get the chainsaw off our rights.”
The demonstration, which was mirrored in cities across the country, brought together families of people with disabilities, providers of support services, feminist collectives like Ni Una Menos, scientists from the CONICET national scientific research institute, Hospital Garrahan workers and various other organisations.
Groups of retirees, supported by left-wing organisations and picket groups, have been marching to Congress every Wednesday for months to protest the meagre value of their pensions.
In March, one such demonstration was joined by football fans and more than 100 people were arrested after clashes left dozens injured.
Pensioners have suffered the most under Milei, whose sweeping budget cuts have helped bring inflation under control and reduce Argentina’s fiscal deficit. A minimum state pension is about US$300 a month, barely above the poverty line.
Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has slashed public spending by the equivalent of 4.7 percent of GDP, cutting inflation from 211 percent in 2023 to 118 percent in 2024.
“It is the retirees who are bearing a third of the famous chainsaw cutbacks, which may have gained international attention but are severely affecting people’s living conditions,” feminist activist Luci Cavallero said as she marched.
The demonstrations, which have often been repressed by the security forces, have also drawn support from the Catholic Church.
“The worst part is how shamelessly we’re being repressed. It’s heartbreaking at my age. I’ve been protesting since I was 17 and I never thought I’d have to go through this again,” said Cristina Rivada, a 74-year-old pensioner who rallies every week.
‘No alternative’
As the protest unfolded outside Congress, lawmakers debated – and eventually passed – proposals including a 7.2 percent rise in pensions and the declaration of a state of emergency in disability care. The government opposes the measures, citing their fiscal impact.
Outside the chamber, 49-year-old Evangelina Caro held a sign that read “I am a person (not an expense), with rights (not privileges)” in one hand. She held her 14-year-old autistic son Benicio in the other hand.
“They’re violating the rights of people with disabilities more and more,” she said. “We have no choice but to take to the streets; it's not something we like, but there's no other option.”
Disability rights groups demanded urgent approval of an emergency law on disability, citing a collapse in services due to years of underfunding and recent cuts. Protesters highlighted closed care centres and stagnating payments to providers like therapeutic aides and transport workers.
“For every unpaid service, a right is violated,” said Juan Pérez Brancatto, the president of a Buenos Aires Province transport association for people with disabilities.
Also joining the protest were resident doctors from the Garrahan Children’s Hospital, a nationally and internationally renowned institution. By nightfall, local media reported that staff had ended a days-long strike after facing threats of disciplinary action.
Resident doctors currently earn around US$660 per month. Although the government announced a raise on Sunday, workers said it was just a one-off bonus and vowed to keep demonstrating.
“We demand an end to threats of dismissal and an increase in wages,” wrote Rodolfo Aguiar, head of the ATE state workers’ union, on the X social network after a failed round of talks with the government.
ATE said it would stage a nationwide strike and demonstrations across the health sector on Thursday in solidarity with staff at the Garrahan and “to reject the health crisis being caused by the government’s defunding policies.”
“We’re going to take this fight to every hospital in the country,” Aguiar warned on X.
Last week, Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni acknowledged that “doctors should earn more,” but accused the Garrahan of being bloated with administrative staff, claiming “there’s always someone trying to cling to a privilege.”
Doctors from other institutions joined Wednesday’s march to call for better wages, alongside scientists and researchers protesting staffing and funding cuts.
University students, families of people with disabilities, and feminist groups also joined – the latter marking 10 years since the birth of the Ni Una Menos anti-gender violence movement.
The causes were diverse, but the call to action is clear. “As feminists, we have no choice but to embrace this struggle and call on all sectors under attack to join in,” said Cavallero.
– TIMES/AFP/PERFIL
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