Buenos Aires Herald 
Two key members of Javier Milei’s cabinet lashed out against Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof for marching against the president’s homophobic comments on Saturday while news broke of high-profile murders in the province.
Following the deaths of three young people in Moreno and Florencio Varela, National Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said the province is “aflame” with a lack of security. Moreno and Florencio Varela are two cities located in the conurbano, a ring of suburbs that surrounds Buenos Aires City but belongs to Buenos Aires province, and often carry territorial stigma for higher rates of crime and insecurity.
On Thursday, 20-year-old delivery driver Lucas Aguilar was killed in Moreno while trying to protect a street vendor from an attack. The attacker stabbed Aguilar several times while the rider was lying on the floor. He died in a hospital around half an hour later.
Aguilar’s family and friends gathered outside the Moreno municipality on Friday to protest against the police and local authorities. Provincial police cracked down on the protest and arrested several people. On Monday afternoon, there was another protest calling for answers that resulted in 17 people getting arrested, according to Infobae.
“People have to do self-defense,” Francos told Radio Mitre in an interview on Monday. “That’s why I was a little angry at Governor Kicillof’s presence at the march on Saturday while the province is aflame with security problems.”
Francos said that Kicillof should “request more federal forces” to address the “uncontrolled” security issue. He also questioned the police crackdown on the protest outside the municipality. “The province is doing everything wrong.”
Provincial Security Minister Javier Alonso told LN+ news channel on Friday that the national government cut AR$700 billion in funds (around US$651 million at the official rate) that would have allowed to buy “10,000 police cars.” Moreno Mayor Mariel Fernández said in an interview with Crónica TV that the local government also stopped receiving security funds and that the municipality “took on all the expenses.”
On Saturday, the bodies of Paloma Gallardo (16) and Josué Salvatierra (14) were found in a field in Florencio Varela. They had been missing since Thursday afternoon. According to the autopsy results, they both died from blunt force trauma to the head. Police believe they could have been robbed since their belongings were not found in the field.
In an X post on Sunday, Bullrich questioned Kicillof for participating in the anti-fascist, anti-racist pride march against Milei on Saturday “at the same time” the teenager’s bodies were found. “You took to the streets to defend ‘rights,’ while the most basic of rights, such as the right to live, are adrift in the province.”
On Friday, Milei announced he would be creating a “Decoration for the Courage of the Common Man” and that Aguilar would be the first to be granted it posthumously. In an X post, he said that people in Buenos Aires province are subject to Kicillof’s “apathy” and “negligence” while the security issues are leading to a “bloodbath for everyday people.”
Kicillof replied to Milei with a post of his own. “You have the right to do your electoral campaign, but not to do propaganda with pain and tragedy,” he wrote.
“If you really want to help our province, you could start by giving back the AR$749 billion for the Security Fund you took illegally,” Kicillof added. “Just once, act like the president of all Argentines. Not anything is worth a vote.” In another post, he promised to continue working to improve the province’s security.
https://x.com/Kicillofok/status/1885512823100366999
