Argentine Universities Erupt in Protest Against President Milei's Austerity Policies
Theo Teresa Bo, Al Jazeera English
Students and faculty at Argentine public universities are protesting President Javier Milei's austerity policies, citing shrinking budgets and eroding salaries. A federal court has begun fining the government for failing to enforce a university funding law, and recent demonstrations in Buenos Aires turned violent, with at least 25 arrests.
"This cannot continue!" students chanted during a meeting in the central hall of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, part of Argentina's prestigious public university system.
The faculty's central hall was covered in dozens of banners opposing President Javier Milei's spending cuts. Students convened the meeting to announce they were occupying the university — a traditional form of protest in Argentina aimed at raising public awareness and pressuring the government. They said they would hold the building for one day.
Many students and faculty there are worried about the impact of Milei's austerity policies on public universities and argue that the future of free higher education is under threat.
"Our best professors are leaving en masse. With salaries that don't cover basic needs, they're moving to private universities," Emiliano Gato, a physics student involved with the protest group, told Al Jazeera. "I dream of researching and teaching at the University of Buenos Aires. It's a prestigious institution. But now, with this austerity plan, I don't know what will happen."
Public universities in Argentina have become a key battleground in Milei's austerity plan. Students and faculty are protesting the lack of funding and eroding salaries, which they see as a major threat to the country's public education system.
Milei is carrying out one of the harshest austerity plans in Argentina's history. Since taking office in 2023, he has fired thousands of civil servants, closed ministries, cut subsidies, and slashed government-funded programs. The measures are aimed at tackling high inflation — Argentina's major problem. Nearly three years later, inflation has fallen to about 2% per month. Milei claims his plan is going well.
"Argentina is growing at an incredible rate. We have recorded 27 consecutive months of growth, and the country is now expanding at four times its historical rate. This growth is being felt across most sectors of the economy," Milei said during a recent visit to Washington.
A ripple effect
But not everyone agrees. His plan is also having a profound impact on public education, welfare programs for people with disabilities, retirees, and others who depend on state support. The opposition has tried to block many of Milei's reforms.
Last year, Congress rejected the president's veto and passed two laws: one increasing funding for public universities and another declaring a state of emergency for people with disabilities. But Milei's government refused to implement them, arguing that Congress had not identified funding sources.
A federal judge has now begun fining the government 100,000 pesos (about $70) per day for failing to implement parts of the funding law, which requires Milei's government to restore university salaries and student scholarships eroded by inflation, regularly update budgets, and provide financing for research, hospitals, and infrastructure.
That is why thousands took to the streets on Thursday to demand the government enforce the law. Across Buenos Aires, long lines of people blocked the city center, calling for a general strike. Although the protest was described as peaceful, it quickly turned violent. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as demonstrators threw stones.
The square in front of Congress resembled a battlefield. At least 25 people were arrested, and several others were injured, including members of the security forces.
Maria Teresa de Jesus is a lecturer in the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires. She said she earns about $700 a month and that making ends meet has become difficult. "I came to this protest as a last resort. I am a lecturer. I love teaching and research. I shouldn't be here," she told Al Jazeera. "Public education is crucial in this country, to make education accessible to everyone. And the government is ignoring that."
Many people in Argentina continue to support Milei's economic plan. They hope his plan to exploit the country's abundant natural resources will bring more jobs, higher wages, and an improved standard of living.
But many others have lost faith and are ready to escalate their struggle. They accuse Milei's government of protecting the interests of a privileged few while making the rest of the country bear the cost of his economic plan.
