One month after being elected president of Argentina, Javier Milei announced harsh measures against protesters last week, sparking fear among both critics and fans that he could lead a crackdown on civil society. Today, the new measures will be put to the test, as social and labor groups plan to protest Milei's new economic measures.
On December 14, Milei's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced a new security protocol to maintain public order during protests. The protocol allows federal security forces to use "the minimum necessary force" to clear people obstructing public streets and dismantle any sort of blockade.
"We are going to bring order to the country so that people can live in peace. The streets will not be taken," Bullrich said at a press conference. "Let them know that if the streets are taken, there will be consequences."
The authors, accomplices, and instigators of this type of crime will be identified with "video, digital, or manual means," Bullrich warned, adding that security agents can arrest and investigate "hooded" citizens attending the protests. Those caught blocking the streets will then be billed for the cost of the operation and could have their social welfare revoked, if they receive any.
Milei's critics have argued the government's measures are a "criminalization of the right to protest." They claim the government could use these powers to crack down on dissent, freedom of expression, and civil society at large.
On Tuesday, labor, social, and human rights groups signed a petition asking the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to intercede and annul the protocol, claiming that such measures were against the Argentinian Constitution. Opposition legislators have presented a similar claim to the national courts.
But a closer look at the measures shows that these concerns are somewhat exaggerated. The measures are not aimed at preventing protests. Instead, they mean to prevent blockades, commonly known as piquetes in Argentina, which usually block streets for hours and can sometimes have drastic economic consequences. Bullrich made it clear in following statements that the right to protest will always be guaranteed in Argentina.
"Protesting is a right, but so is the right of people to move freely through Argentine territory to go to their workplace," explained Sandra Pettovello, head of the new Human Capital Ministry, on Monday.
Also, most Argentines seem to agree with the new measures. A recent poll by the University of Buenos Aires' Observatory of Applied Social Psychology found that 65 percent of those surveyed agree with stopping the blockades.
Faced with soaring inflation, rapidly rising poverty, and debt, Milei promised to shock the country's economy to end its crisis. Among his first measures, his administration devalued the currency by more than 50 percent, cut the number of government ministries by half, and announced widespread spending cuts.
But Milei's critics believe his actions will only make the country worse off. Protesters were called to march against the government's reforms in Buenos Aires on December 20—a date coinciding with the 22nd anniversary of the anti-government protests that left 39 dead.
Today's protests will put Milei's crackdown measures to the test. So far, Milei's administration has signaled that the protests can continue as planned "without the demonstrators being able to cut traffic and with the order of the City Government." But a large number of police officers can already be seen lurking in the background. Only time will tell if the measures will lead the libertarian president in a very un-libertarian direction.
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