This Wednesday, a massive day of struggle shook downtown Buenos Aires. Social organizations, retirees, and leftist activists gathered in front of Congress to condemn the relentless austerity of Javier Milei’s government. The protest, which began early near Puente Pueyrredón, was met with tear gas by the Prefecture, which mounted a huge operation. However, the tide of demonstrators did not stop and managed to reach Congress Square, where they encountered a cordon of Gendarmerie and City Police.
What set this mobilization apart was the participation of delegations from the CGT and the CTA, which had until now remained in a worrying state of passivity. The retirees, who have been fighting every Wednesday, are demanding a national strike to paralyze the country. “The CGT woke up from a long nap,” said Nicolás del Caño, a deputy from the Left Front. “The retirees have been setting an exemplary struggle, and that is why the mobilization and the demand for a plan of struggle are so important,” he added.
The demands were not limited to pension benefits. The slogans targeted the dismantling of nuclear development, open-pit mining, layoffs at Conicet and INTI, and the giveaway of common goods. “Workers have been suffering a huge attack from this government and the bosses,” denounced Víctor Ottoboni, a worker at Fate, who has been occupying the plant for over five months to defend jobs.
Myriam Bregman, a national deputy, called for a “March of Anger” in September, aiming to turn indignation into organized force. “We are talking with other sectors to hold a major mobilization and turn that anger into struggle,” she said. The Left Front also demanded the reinstatement of the pension moratorium and an emergency increase for retirees, one of the sectors hardest hit by Milei’s policies.
The day highlighted growing social tension. While the government insists on austerity, the streets are boiling. The presence of the CGT, even if only with delegations, marks a turning point: organized workers are starting to stir the hornet’s nest. But for the demonstrators, it is not enough. “They need to create a plan of struggle and enable workers to carry it out,” demanded Raúl Godoy, a leader of the PTS.
The repression at Puente Pueyrredón only added fuel to the fire. The tear gas failed to disperse the anger. By evening, Congress was a hive of flags, pots, and slogans. The struggle continues, and the national strike is sounding louder every day.
che milei es un facho de mierda reprimiendo a los jubilados y laburantes q se bancan su ajuste la cgt y la izquierda bancando pero falta mas contundencia para mi estos liberaliastas hijos de puta se tienen q ir todos fuerza compañeros ni un paso atras
kjjjj estos zurditos de mierda otra vez llorando no se cansan de romper las pelotas para mi Milei los va a limpiar a todos viva la libertad carajo 💪 la CGT y los jubilados son unos vagos de mierda