The Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, has presented a new protocol against street blockades as tension increases over the economic cuts announced this week
If you ever even visited Buenos Aires for a few days, you’d know these protests are astroturfed. Opposition will fill busses from the villas miserias (equivalent to favelas) and flood the streets and gridlock the capital for hours. It happens so often that its become a regular nuisance. A lot of these people don’t work and are on social plans. They are essentially used as a foot army by the peronistas to manipulate political power.
I’m not saying this to justify whats going on, but giving people context.
From one side, not all protests were against the national government, some if not most, were and are usually against the Buenos Aires City government (which is not peronist), or against some other government. You must take into account that Buenos Aires is a city with a high concentration of institutional buildings. So everything is in Buenos Aires. There’s this old saying in Argentina “God is everywhere, but his offices are/he only attends in Buenos Aires”
On the other hand, the peronist party is a highly fractured party. It’s more like a coalition of different minded individuals, that gather around the caudillo in turn. That’s why Perón himself said “peronists are like cats, when you hear them screaming, they are not fighting, they are matting”. Once the caudillo is in power, he must maintain it, and strength demonstrations are usually in the form of “getting the street”. Meaning, making a ruckus and sending people to protest. This goes for both sides, sports and detectors.
So, as you can hopefully see, Argentina’s politics aren’t as straightforward as thought.
Fair. Argentina’s politics are complicated. I was there in 2002 and remember groups of people sitting in circles discussing the political situation at the time.
it’s not a right wing government without deadly crackdowns against dissent
If you ever even visited Buenos Aires for a few days, you’d know these protests are astroturfed. Opposition will fill busses from the villas miserias (equivalent to favelas) and flood the streets and gridlock the capital for hours. It happens so often that its become a regular nuisance. A lot of these people don’t work and are on social plans. They are essentially used as a foot army by the peronistas to manipulate political power.
I’m not saying this to justify whats going on, but giving people context.
it’s also not a right wing government without people insisting that all the noise is just poor people who should be ignored
Uhhh… Milei’s been in office for what, a week? Are you saying the “Peronistas” were driving people in to protest their own government?
From one side, not all protests were against the national government, some if not most, were and are usually against the Buenos Aires City government (which is not peronist), or against some other government. You must take into account that Buenos Aires is a city with a high concentration of institutional buildings. So everything is in Buenos Aires. There’s this old saying in Argentina “God is everywhere, but his offices are/he only attends in Buenos Aires”
On the other hand, the peronist party is a highly fractured party. It’s more like a coalition of different minded individuals, that gather around the caudillo in turn. That’s why Perón himself said “peronists are like cats, when you hear them screaming, they are not fighting, they are matting”. Once the caudillo is in power, he must maintain it, and strength demonstrations are usually in the form of “getting the street”. Meaning, making a ruckus and sending people to protest. This goes for both sides, sports and detectors.
So, as you can hopefully see, Argentina’s politics aren’t as straightforward as thought.
Fair. Argentina’s politics are complicated. I was there in 2002 and remember groups of people sitting in circles discussing the political situation at the time.
I love Buenos Aires btw, hope things get better.