Tension as government threatens to cut protesters’ welfare ahead of key march

As Milei implements sweeping austerity measures amid soaring inflation, the march commemorating victims of the 2001 crisis carries echoes of the past

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich threatened to investigate protesters and cut their welfare payments ahead of a march that will take place on Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the victims of the 2001 crisis. This will be the first Milei-era mass rally and the first time Bullrich’s strict anti-protest protocol will be applied.

Last Thursday, Bullrich announced a new protocol that authorizes federal security forces to clamp down on protests or marches carrying out any form of roadblock, allowing protests to only take place on sidewalks. The government later announced that any person who receives a social plan and is arrested or identified while blocking a road would lose welfare benefits.

“There are going to be security cameras all around Buenos Aires City,” Bullrich told TN news station on Wednesday morning. “There will be police officers filming so that we can later identify [protesters].”

She added that the Federal Police already has a biometric identification system, and they will cross data with the National People’s Registry to identify potential protestors.

“Those who want to block roads need to know we have a way of identifying them, and they’re going to lose their benefits,” she threatened.

On Tuesday, the government launched a new hotline — dialing number 134 — they said was for welfare plans’ recipients to call and report if anyone was threatening to take away their benefits if they didn’t attend marches or rallies.

According to Bullrich, the hotline received over 5,000 calls on Tuesday, causing the system to overload. “We’ve been receiving messages all the time from people who said that if they didn’t go to the march, their Potenciar Trabajo plan would be taken away,” referring to alleged intermediaries such as social organization leaders or local politicians.

Bullrich insisted on asking people to avoid the protest. “Those who get the message are going to act smartly and stay at home or at their jobs.”

The minister clarified that those who still want to protest can do it on squares or sidewalks, but they can’t block traffic.

“We are asking them not to generate a situation of extreme violence,” she said.

On Wednesday morning, train passengers from the Roca train line stumbled upon signs saying “If you block roads, you lose your social plan” at Constitución station. Audio messages explaining this measure were also heard at the terminal station.

The march

Social movements grouped in the Unidad Piquetera (UP) organization will march from Congress to Casa Rosada at 4 p.m. to commemorate a new anniversary of the protests and riots of December 19 and 20, 2001. During those days, 22 years ago, thousands of people protested against Fernando de la Rúa’s government, who ultimately resigned and left the Casa Rosada aboard a helicopter. Protesters faced extreme police repression, which resulted in 39 deaths all over the country.

In addition to UP, other organizations and non-affiliated people will also take part of the march, which also aims to protest against the austerity measures announced by Economy Minister Luis Caputo last week.

Traffic will be blocked on 9 de Julio Avenue and Avenida de Mayo during the afternoon. Access to Buenos Aires City, as well as public transport, may be affected by the march. 

Silvia Saravia, leader of the social organization Barrios de Pie, told the Herald that Caputo’s measures will have a strong negative impact on impoverished homes. These include a massive devaluation of the Argentine peso and reductions in subsidies for power and gas tariffs, as well public transport fees.

Caputo said electricity subsidies will be maintained for low-income families, but only up to a certain usage limit.

In some lower-income neighborhoods, access to energy services is already a problem. Many don’t have access to the gas network, forcing them to buy gas canisters, which are more expensive. Otherwise, they use lumber or spend more on electricity to compensate for the lack of gas connection.

“Often, two or three families [part of an extended family] live in the same home with only one meter,” Saravia explained, meaning that their added enery consumption will surpass the subsidy usage limit. 

“These measures will strongly worsen life conditions for a very large part of the population.”

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