Argentina: Protesters clash with police over spending cuts

[sandensea]

Last edited Thu Oct 25, 2018, 12:14 AM - Edit history (1)

Police in Argentina police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon at protesters who marched Wednesday in Buenos Aires against the government's 2019 budget bill, which contains steep spending cuts amid a severe recession.

Thousands of activists led by teachers, social organizations and leftist groups opposed to President Mauricio Macri's austerity measures gathered in front of Congress.

While most had gathered peacefully, small groups of hooded men threw rocks at police. Protesters denounced the hooded individuals as provocateurs.

They note that none were detained, that photos show them arriving as if trained, that piles of rocks had been left the night before, and that police can be seen attempting to plant a jimmy beside journalist Francisco Pandolfi while he was held down.

"One of them dropped his bandana, and has been identified as Police Sergent Héctor Olivera," opposition Congressman Leopoldo Moreau said.

Thirty were detained, and 13 were reported injured. Among the detained were several journalists - including one, Nacho Levy, who was shot.

Heated debate

Debate began in the Lower House of Congress at noon when the 106 legislators in Macri's right-wing "Let's Change" caucus were joined by 23 others to give the plenary session a razor-thin quorum of 129 to 128.

Lawmakers inside the capitol building argued loudly over sticking points, at times disregarding calls for order.

The Let's Change caucus leader, Nicolás Massot, 34, had to be restrained at one point from attacking Congressman Moreau, who is 71.

IMF bailout, IMF budget

The budget contains nearly $10 billion in cuts to federal spending (8% of the total) aimed at cutting fiscal deficits from 6% of GDP in 2017, to 2.7% this year, and to zero in 2019.

Opponents note that budget cuts will exacerbate the recession while doing little to control the cause of the crisis: a record $31 billion current account deficit, plus $3 billion monthly in capital flight.

Macri has committed to balancing the budget at the behest of the IMF, which signed a $50 billion standby credit line with Argentina on June 8.

The $15 billion borrowed from the credit line on June 22 have been spent to cover capital flight, and while the IMF expanded the credit line to $57 billion on September 26 no fresh funds were released.

Macri sought the IMF bailout after a carry-trade debt dubble promoted in 2016-17 collapsed in April, since leading to a halving of the peso's value and a consequent jump of short-term interest rates from 27% to 74%.

Under Macri, public sector foreign debt ballooned from $84 billion in December 2015 to $181 billion as of June.

At: https://www.dw.com/en/argentina-protesters-clash-with-police-over-spending-cuts/a-46032522

Scene from today's protests in front of Argentina's Congress after Macri's caucus obtained a razor-thin quorum to debate the IMF-approved 2019 budget.

Opponents denounced the presence of hooded provocateurs, who were not pursued or detained. At least one hooded rock thrower has been identified as a police sargent.

[Judi Lynn]

1. OMG, they've been caught trying to pull off the old "false flag" bogus violence today.

Sure, they realize they don't have enough public support so they want to mold public perception against the protesters, hoping it might push people on the fence to never involve themselves in protests, no matter how bad it is. Detecting a policeman trying to provoke fear toward the protesters isn't going to help Macri's side. The public has been starting to catch onto this stuff everywhere. Right-wing governments have been doing it since the 1960's, at least, in the U.S.

We recall seeing photos circulating years ago of a Canadian cop being spotted trying to act like a violent protester from the Canadian unions, which started and bemused people for ages as the images were passed around for a long time after. So funny. He forgot and left on his policeman shoes when he put on his stupid street clothes, people saw through it, and watched him walk to the end of a block and get into a police car for a lift back to the station when he was through.

Seattle, acting as antifa? You betcha.

Now Macri is sending out his own. Makes you wonder if he didn't use them when he was the mayor of Buenos Aires, doesn't it?

Thank you for the new information, sandensea. It is a moment of lightness to learn that one of the very underhanded dirty tricks has been exposed, and undoubtedly lost Macri some former supporters.

Hope the demonstrations will continue, and that the real protesters will be safe.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Sandensea, it would be too cool if, when the real protesters spotted a provocateur,

they could simply detain him, hold him, keep him from running, and tell the police they want to make a citizens' arrest on the guy for resorting to violence in their protest, in the meantime taking lots of video of him, his face, his voice, his mannerisms, try to identify him, etc.

I wouldn't think there would be anything the police in their normal uniforms could do, even though everyone would know the crowd had bagged an agent provocateur, sent by the city to justify a conflagration by the cops on protesters for their alleged violence.

Shouldn't that work? I don't see why it wouldn't.

[sandensea]

3. I understand they've tried, and have filed complaints in court using photo/film evidence

But to no avail.

Physically detaining them is very difficult, as they're trained police special forces.

Were one to be physically held long enough for police to arrive, police would surely allow the rock thrower to flee, and arrest the civilians for "unlawful arrest."

That's what happened during the protests in September 2017 (over the killing of Santiago Maldonado) and the attack on the Ateneo Theater last August.

It's very difficult to find a judge who'll allow any case against police provocateurs to go forward, moreover, given what a number of judges have described as unprecedented pressure from Macri (including espionage and extortion).

Déjà vu: This police woman has been among the several officers identified as provocateurs; she can be seen attacking the Ateneo Theater in August 2018, and in the Maldonado protest incidents in September 2017.



Police Sargeant Héctor Olivera (posing as a rock thrower) has a wardrobe malfunction during the September 2017 incidents. He was said to be in yesterday's riot as well, though that hasn't been confirmed.

Here are some of the police/state intelligence provocateurs they've identified thus far; the courts won't touch them:

Thanks as always for taking the time to read, and share your thoughts and questions, Judi. One can only hope that under the next administration, all this might be investigated.

As many serious other problems as they'll inherit from Macri though, I wouldn't blame them entirely if they decided to turn the page on this one.

[Judi Lynn]

4. This is an outstanding bunch of images.

It's so clear the administration has been DEEPLY involved in some intense movement against dissent, that they were absolutely anticipating it, and were ready to go, to launch into the next dictatorship.

That's one thing fascists really throw themselves into, seizing control of the population, terrorizing them into submission while they set up their vicious military states.

Having better access to cameras just might be proven, in time, to be an enormous ally for the people who want to live in peace. I hope ways will be developed in which they can be used effectively to inform the masses of REAL events, help them to learn to save themselves.

Thank you, sandensea. Very glad to see this visual record of truly violent people operating, they think, in secrecy!