Milei’s government cracks down on pensioner protests; brawl breaks out in Argentina’s Congress 

Buenos Aires, Argentina — Buenos Aires’ downtown became a battlefield on March 12 when a protest of retirees, supported by soccer fans and hooligans, was violently broken up by police near the Argentine Congress. Meanwhile, inside the Parliament building, another brawl broke out between government and opposition forces as a proposal to strip President Javier Milei of his “superpowers” was introduced, with the session being adjourned before it could be discussed.

Retirees have been protesting since Milei took office. While pensions have remained low against inflation for the past decade, the libertarian government froze pensions in December 2023, when a massive devaluation of the Argentine peso took place. After that, they were updated following inflation, but Milei blocked all opposition attempts to compensate for that loss, even going so far as to call the legislators who opposed the initiatives “heroes.” The current 349.121 pesos (280 USD) monthly minimum pension is technically higher than what was paid by previous governments, but the rising cost of living has left retirees unable to cover basic needs. The Buenos Aires City Ombudsman’s Office estimates that a pensioner living alone needs at least 1.200.523 pesos (970 USD) a month to afford all expenses.

Tensions have been rising in recent weeks as Security Minister Patricia Bullrich has promoted a zero-tolerance policy against protests that disrupt public transit. On February 26, security forces cracked down on retirees protesting in front of Congress, who were supported by fans from the city’s Chacarita Juniors soccer team. The team’s supporters returned to defend the pensioners on March 5, and by the following week, fans of dozens of clubs called for a mobilization outside of Congress.

While the protests were organized by regular fans, President Milei’s cabinet seized the opportunity to associate all protesters with “barras bravas,” as hooligan groups are known in Argentina. In response, Bullrich promised “strict enforcement of public transit and security” in the lead-up to the march and vowed to ban any violent individuals from entering soccer stadiums in the future.

Read more: Javier Milei pushes to bypass Congress and rushes a new IMF deal for Argentina

The protest began peacefully on the afternoon of March 12 but was violently broken up as police attempted to prevent soccer fans from disrupting transit around Congress. Security forces then moved to clear the area, targeting hooligans, regular fans, retirees, journalists, and even bystanders. Water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse protesters, and by the end of the clash, around 150 people had been detained and dozens were wounded.

Scenes of violence sparked outrage on social media as images of the crackdown spread. Beatriz Blanco, an 87-year-old pensioner, was hospitalized after hitting her head on the ground when a police officer pushed her. Two high school students, ages 14 and 12, were detained while leaving class and kept handcuffed on the street for hours, according to one student’s mother.

The most iconic and dramatic scene was the attack on freelance photojournalist Pablo Grillo, who was covering the protest when he was struck in the head by a gas canister fired directly at him by nearby police officers, rather than being shot upward as protocol requires. Images of his open skull spread on X, while the 35-year-old was hospitalized and remains in critical condition after losing brain tissue and undergoing two surgeries.

Security Minister Bullrich defended the crackdown and claimed that Grillo was a “Kirchnerist militant.” The Security Minister also stated that the officers had acted appropriately and said she would not open an investigation, despite numerous videos circulating on social media showing that the photographer had been directly targeted.

President Milei backed Bullrich’s actions on March 14, when she accompanied him to Expoagro, a farming conference in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires Province. In his first public appearance after the incidents, Milei posed for photos with Bullrich and later defended her in his speech. “The good guys are in blue, and the sons of bitches who wear rags on their faces, destroy and burn cars, and threaten people because they don’t want to lose their privileges — those are the bad guys. Those belong in jail, and we’re going to put them in jail,” Milei shouted.

Bullrich remains under scrutiny for her handling of security forces on March 12. Beatriz Blanco, the retiree who suffered head injuries, has filed charges against her. Prosecutor Franco Picardi has demanded that the minister provide proof of actual hooligan involvement in the incidents. And Jan Jarab, a regional representative for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), called on Argentine authorities to “investigate with diligence” the events in front of Congress, citing Grillo’s case in particular.

Chaos inside Congress

As protests raged outside in the streets, a different kind of brawl unfolded inside Congress. Opposition representatives from Unión por la Patria (the Justicialist Party) attempted to leverage their votes to propose revoking President Milei’s delegated powers, commonly referred to as “superpowers.”

While most House representatives had left the floor to block the debate, a few former libertarians, led by Oscar Zago, remained. They were soon confronted by Lilia Lemoine, a Milei lieutenant in Congress, who demanded they leave to break the quorum. Lemoine was then confronted by two other representatives who insulted her and threw a glass of water at her.

Meanwhile, libertarian Lisandro Almirón approached Zago and questioned his support for creating a commission to investigate the Libra scandal — an alleged cryptocurrency “rug pull” involving Milei. Tensions escalated, and the confrontation became physical, with Zago and Almirón pushing each other. Martín Menem, speaker of the House of Representatives, took advantage of Zago standing up, which formally removed him from the floor. This left just 128 legislators present — one short of the number needed for quorum — and Menem ended the session.

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