In Buenos Aires, Argentina protests and clashes against the police have erupted once again. Last thursday people took to the streets to protest against a pension reform the government is trying to impose. The government under Mauricio Macri wants to save around 5 billion Euros with this reform as a way to fight the rising inflation inside the country. To do this, the government has decided to cut spendings on the people, who in their eyes need it the least: the elderly and the retired. Following the 2001 and 2008 protests and the recent mysterious death of a well-known activist, the people are showing once again that they don't want to be oppressed any more.
The protests caught the government off-guard. Their lack of preparation shows that they were not expecting such a huge backlash from the population. Clashes which took place in front of the Congress almost managed to break through the police blockade. Under a hail of stones, the police from Buenos Aires had to ask for national support to bring the situation under their control. The first clash on Thursday last week left 162 injured of which 88 are police officers.
The clashes have not stopped until now. The police is trying to fiercely crack down the protests with the use of brutal tactics and anti-riot gear. The scenes that have developed show the real face of the government. An elderly bystander that was not even demonstrating got peppersprayed three times and beaten with a baton! A young demonstrator, who happened to fall on the street while trying to escape the police, was deliberately run over by a police officer riding a bike!!! These are just the ones caught on tape, many of these cases are happening right now in Buenos Aires! The protestors are valiantly holding their ground and fighting back with unshakable determination. The people will not take this mistreatment. They have had enough!
All internationalist forces have to stand together with the struggling class-brothers and -sisters of Argentina!
