Hundreds of thousands of Argentinians protest against cuts at universities | Abroad

100,000 to 150,000 people gathered in the capital, a police source said. The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) is talking about 500,000 demonstrators, the education union is talking about a million demonstrators throughout the country. This is probably the largest demonstration since Milei’s term of office began in December. The government labels the protests as “political”.

The public universities, which have 2.2 million students, say they are in a “budgetary emergency” since the government decided to maintain the same budget for the 2024 academic year, which started in March, as in 2023, despite the inflation of 288 percent annually. Several universities have already taken emergency measures. At the prestigious UBA, common areas are not illuminated, the use of elevators is limited and the opening hours of the libraries are limited.

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The decision is part of a major austerity campaign by the Milesian government to close the budget deficit and curb inflation by the end of the year. She has also cut subsidies for transport, fuel and energy, among other things, causing Argentines to lose a fifth of their purchasing power. Thousands of civil servants have lost their jobs. Nearly 60 percent of the population now lives below the poverty line.