MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: College students rise against Libertarian budgetary constraints

The protests include classes in the streets

Last week's veto by President Javier Milei against the University Finance Bill, which survived a parliamentarian challenge, has nevertheless sparked a nationwide conflict between the Libertarian administration and student groups claiming that the tuition-free higher education that has been a pillar of social mobility in Argentina was at stake. Some outlets even defined the uprising as “Estudiantazo” as some classes were held in the streets as part of the surging protests.

 Eight schools belonging to the University of Buenos Aires -including Law, Medicine, and Economics- announced a student strike (or takeover, actually) for Tuesday as the country watches the latest events unfold in astonishment, wondering if this uprising might grow into something bigger that may even push Milei's government over the edge. It was also the first time Economics joined such a protest.

Meanwhile, clashes were reported at the National University of Quilmes (UNQ)
on the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) southern outskirts between protesting students and some sort of Libertarian vigilante groups defending the government's stance that the universities' financial administration needed auditing, being treasury expenditures as they are, thus entitling taxpayers to know how their money is spent. It is widely known that political forces capitalize on the discretionary use of these funds for purposes that are not strictly academic.

UNQ students and teachers said that a Libertarian group pepper-sprayed others from different political allegiances holding an assembly and left the scene, which forced the evacuation of the premises. “These are the libertarian puppets who showed up at the University of Quilmes to throw pepper spray at an assembly that was taking place in a totally peaceful manner. Get to know their faces well,” a Twitter user quoted by local media wrote.

Tuesday's protests are expected to last between 24 and 72 hours. Open-air classes in the streets are also to be expected. The whole movement is preparing the atmosphere for Thursday's strike called for Thursday by the Union Front of National Universities against the presidential veto of the University Financing Law in addition to a 65% loss of purchase power in the salaries of teachers and non-teaching college workers due to the country's rampant inflation. A march towards Plaza de Mayo has also been announced for Wednesday at 6 pm by Psychology and Philosophy students.

“Milei passed the veto, but he woke up the students. And we want to make this clear: yesterday, Milei went to total war against the students, saying that the university only favors the rich. This is not so. The universities are attended by the children of working men and women and we are going to defend them to the last consequences,” Literature major Marcelo Arancibia at the National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB) said.