World

Students Occupy University of Buenos Aires Amid Milei Austerity Protests

By Teresa Bo

Students at the University of Buenos Aires have occupied the Exact and Natural Sciences building to protest President Javier Milei’s austerity measures, which have cut funding for public universities. The protest began with an assembly in the central hall, where banners criticized the government’s spending cuts. Organizers announced a one‑day occupation of the building to raise awareness and pressure the government. Many students and professors fear that Milei’s policies threaten free higher education, citing the exodus of faculty due to low salaries. Physics student Emiliano Gato told Al Jazeera that he is uncertain about his future at the university because of the austerity plan.

Milei’s administration, which began in 2023, has implemented one of Argentina’s harshest austerity programs, including layoffs of thousands of state employees, ministry closures, subsidy reductions, and cuts to government‑funded programmes. The aim is to curb high inflation, which has fallen to about 2 % per month. Milei claims the plan is succeeding, citing 27 consecutive months of sustained growth and a four‑fold expansion of the economy.

The austerity plan has also affected public education, welfare for people with disabilities, pensions, and other state‑supported services. Congress last year overturned presidential vetoes and passed two laws: one to increase funding for public universities and another to declare a disability emergency. The government has refused to implement them, arguing that Congress did not specify financing. A federal judge has begun fining the government 100,000 pesos (about $70) per day for failing to implement parts of the financing law, which requires the restoration of university salaries, student scholarships, budget updates, and funding for research, hospitals, and infrastructure.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Buenos Aires on Thursday, blocking the city centre and demanding the government implement the law. The protest, intended to be peaceful, turned violent when police used tear gas and rubber bullets in response to rocks thrown by demonstrators. The plaza in front of Congress became a battleground, resulting in at least 25 detentions and injuries to several participants, including security forces.

University of Buenos Aires chemistry professor Maria Teresa de Jesus, who earns about 700 pesos a month, said she had joined the protest as a last resort. She expressed concern that the government’s neglect of public education would undermine accessibility for all.

While some Argentines continue to support Milei’s economic plan, hoping it will generate jobs, higher wages, and improved living standards through exploitation of natural resources, others have lost faith and are prepared to intensify their opposition, accusing the government of favouring a privileged few while burdening the rest of the population with the costs of the plan.