Unions, social rights organizations, student organizations, sectors of the popular economy, opposition parties and Peronism of the province of Buenos Aires They converge this Wednesday in the Plaza de los Dos Congresos to express their rejection of the approval of the “base law” and the fiscal package that accompanies her.
In this context, the federal forces of the anti-picket device ordered by the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, fired gas at the protesters who were outside Congress.
The main incidents occurred at the intersection of Avenida Rivadavia and Avenida Callao, one of the corners of the parliament. From a formation of the National Prefecture, in support of the Federal Police, gases were fired to force people to leave.
From Unión por la Patria it was reported that national deputies Eduardo Valdés and Carlos Castagneto had to be transferred to the medical unit of Congress to be treated. Also, that deputy Luis Basterra was taken to the Santa Lucía Ophthalmological Hospital, a few blocks from the congress. And that the radical Leopoldo Moreau would have been affected.
It also emerged that two protesters were treated at the same specialized hospital.
Tension around Congress due to the march against the “base law”
The surroundings of Congress were closed to traffic due to the massive arrival of protesters. The different safety cords. Thus, different columns of protesters occupied part of the Mayo and Entre Ríos avenues, without being able to converge in front of Congress.
A group of gendarmerie, meanwhile, created a cordon to prevent the advance of the column of truck drivers and the CGT.
For its part, Camioneros had chosen to stop the march to avoid a clash with the security forces. But then, that changed.
“We started walking towards the (Congress) square and the gendarmerie and the police surrounded us and from there they threw gas, pushed us, kicked us, in a very violent situation. The street is already closed, this makes no sense,” denounced the national deputy of Unión por la Patria Cecilia Moreau.
“The police operation is totally disproportionate. We are on a corner, peacefully, and motorcycles arrived to disperse. I don’t know what they’re looking for with all this,” complained Peronist Fernando Gray, mayor of the suburban town, Esteban Echeverría.
Tension around Congress: five legislators assisted
Around 4 p.m., Unión por la Patria reported that Valdes, Castagneto, Pedrini, Basterra and Yutrovic had been transferred to the Santa Lucía hospital.
According to the bloc, the five legislators were with a group of protesters on Avenida de Mayo and were affected by the aerosol gas fired at them by a Gendarmerie agent, when they were talking with members of the security force.
“Basic law”: which unions and organizations were the conveners
With Áxel Kicillof at the head of the strategy, the mayors of the Conurbano committed to the mobilization of thousands of people to the Plaza de Los Dos Congresos.
In fact, its Minister of Public Works, Gabriel Katopodis, led the militancy for the call. Kicillof seems to be rehearsing a show of force prior to his meeting with Pope Francis, scheduled for this Thursday. In parallel, there is an internal one exposed in the CGT, which will mobilize divided.
While Pablo Moyano (Truckers) warned the senators that “they either become heroes or traitors”; Gerardo Martínez (Uocra) asks “to preserve the CGT and we have to have a strategic view (because) Argentina does not disappear due to the treatment of a law.”
Martínez, despite representing the sector most affected by the recession – construction – leads the “dialogue” CGT with the national government. Moyano, without the endorsement of his father Hugo, challenges “los Gordos”; within the framework of a generational change in union leadership.
Days ago Pablo Moyano called a plenary session at the CGT headquarters in which, in addition to Kicillof officials, Alejandro Crespo, from the Partido Obrero; Néstor Segovia, deputy secretary of the inorganic “metrodelegates”; and Alejandro Gramajo, head of the Popular Economy Workers Union (Utep).
Within the CGT, Pablo Moyano aligns Sergio Palazzo (La Bancaria), Abel Furlán (UOM) and Ricardo Pignanelli (Smata), among others. In addition, the oil producers’ union launched an indefinite strike.
On the other hand, Héctor Daer (Sanidad), Gerardo Martínez (UOCRA), José Luis Lingeri (Sanitary Works) and Andrés Rodríguez (UPCN) would not have a leading role in the march.
Thus, the columns of the CGT will not march together; not even with a common strategy. On the other hand, a large demonstration is expected from the two CTAs, with the ATE union (state) at the forefront after the loss of 21 thousand jobs in the State; and CTERA (teacher), affected by the elimination of the “teacher incentive fund.”
In this framework, the rally is scheduled for 9 a.m. in front of Congress, although without an end time: the intention is for the columns to remain in place while the debate in the Senate takes place.
“If they seek provocation, we will not allow it. Our objective is always the same, never to cut off the streets,” said the Minister of National Security, Patricia Bullrich, fueling the certain possibility of repression.
“There is a very ironclad political decision that everyone knows, the streets are for circulation and the squares are for protest,” added Bullrich, who anticipated a deployment of all federal forces.
As Minister of Security, Bullrich does not usually have a political hand to guide security operations in the context of social conflict. It is worth remembering that in 2017, when the pension reform was being voted in Congress during the Macri government, the session was on the verge of being wrecked due to the actions of the Gendarmerie. For all this, very high tension is predicted throughout the day. In fact, Congress was fenced off yesterday.
