Milei faces another mass protest over university cuts, but scores a win in Argentina’s Congress
Buenos Aires, Argentina — Thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on Thursday in another large protest against President Javier Milei’s government, rejecting severe cuts to public university funding that the executive branch has carried out despite a law passed by Congress and a Supreme Court ruling. It was the fifth Federal University […] The post Milei faces another mass…
On Thursday, tens of thousands of people across Argentina took to the streets in another mass protest against President Javier Milei's government. The demonstration, the fifth Federal University March, protested severe cuts to public university funding, which the executive branch has implemented despite a law passed by Congress and a Supreme Court ruling.
Organizers estimated turnout at nearly one million people across the country, with the main rally taking place in Buenos Aires in front of the Plaza del Congreso. Despite the protests, the government scored a political victory inside Congress, where it secured a quorum to keep a decree (Necessity and Urgency 70/23) that has allowed for deregulation and market-opening policies defining Milei's agenda.
University groups have been building toward the march for weeks, demanding compliance with the University Financing Law. This law requires monthly inflation adjustments to university budgets, which professors say has led to a financial crisis. The shortage of funding has caused an exodus of professionals who leave their posts due to very low pay.
Martín Farina, a teaching assistant at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) School of Exact and Natural Sciences, explained that salaries have fallen below inflation, leading to a 40% loss of purchasing power for university teachers over the past two years. He added that overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of instructors have become common, with some professors forced to take their jobs elsewhere.
Material shortages have compounded the financial blow. Infrastructure issues, such as malfunctioning elevators and maintenance challenges, have become increasingly prevalent. The tension between the protesters and the police reached a peak near Congress, with around 5:00 p.m. as demonstrators began throwing stones at officers. In response, the police sprayed pepper spray into the crowd, resulting in 31 arrests.
The protest, though intense, highlighted the broader concerns about education cuts, transportation issues, and the broader impacts of the government's deregulation policies on public services.
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