“Argentine demonstrators have staged their biggest-yet show of opposition to Javier Milei’s radical attempt to reshape the South American country with a nationwide strike that shuttered schools and businesses, grounded hundreds of flights, and saw tens of thousands of marchers hit the streets.
Together, Milei’s decree and the draft legislation propose hundreds of highly controversial innovations including a wave of privatisations, ferocious spending cuts, a major expansion of presidential powers, and a scaling back of workers’ rights and the right to protest. Nine of 18 government ministries have been closed, including those responsible for education, the environment and women, gender and diversity. Argentina’s currency, the peso, was devalued by more than 50% against the dollar.
Milei claims such moves will rescue Argentina from the “economic hell” he blames on his Peronist predecessors.
But the agony has intensified since his inauguration. Monthly inflation hit 25.5% last month compared to 12.8% in November. Annual inflation has reached a three-decade high of 211.4% – even higher than in Venezuela, a country reeling from a decade-long
economic collapse.
“We’re fighting against the way in which the far right is basically trying to eliminate our rights of existence on all levels,
from healthcare to work,” said Federica Baeza, an LGBTIQ+ activist and art curator who was among the crowd outside
congress as the 12-hour strike began.
“What the ultra-right does not understand is that we live in an unequal world and that the state has to be active in order to
reverse this situation,”
Milei’s hard-line security minister, Patricia Bullrich, blamed the walkout on “mafioso unionists”. “No strike will stop us,” vowed Bullrich, who had threatened to dock the wages of public sector workers who took part.
Milei’s “exciting” plans equal to Margaret Thatcher’s attempt to resuscitate the British economy during the 1980s.”
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“Argentine demonstrators have staged their biggest-yet show of opposition to Javier Milei’s radical attempt to reshape the South American country with a nationwide strike that shuttered schools and businesses, grounded hundreds of flights, and saw tens of thousands of marchers hit the streets.
Together, Milei’s decree and the draft legislation propose hundreds of highly controversial innovations including a wave of privatisations, ferocious spending cuts, a major expansion of presidential powers, and a scaling back of workers’ rights and the right to protest. Nine of 18 government ministries have been closed, including those responsible for education, the environment and women, gender and diversity. Argentina’s currency, the peso, was devalued by more than 50% against the dollar.
Milei claims such moves will rescue Argentina from the “economic hell” he blames on his Peronist predecessors.
But the agony has intensified since his inauguration. Monthly inflation hit 25.5% last month compared to 12.8% in November. Annual inflation has reached a three-decade high of 211.4% – even higher than in Venezuela, a country reeling from a decade-long
economic collapse.
“We’re fighting against the way in which the far right is basically trying to eliminate our rights of existence on all levels,
from healthcare to work,” said Federica Baeza, an LGBTIQ+ activist and art curator who was among the crowd outside
congress as the 12-hour strike began.
“What the ultra-right does not understand is that we live in an unequal world and that the state has to be active in order to
reverse this situation,”
Milei’s hard-line security minister, Patricia Bullrich, blamed the walkout on “mafioso unionists”. “No strike will stop us,” vowed Bullrich, who had threatened to dock the wages of public sector workers who took part.
Milei’s “exciting” plans equal to Margaret Thatcher’s attempt to resuscitate the British economy during the 1980s.”
As predicted. Go Javier!
Socialists pitching a bitch.