Argentine retirees and soccer fans clash with police during protests against austerity measures
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2025 (563 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine retirees and fans of several soccer teams clashed with police Wednesday during a protest in front of Congress in the capital, Buenos Aires, against the economic policies implemented by the government of President Javier Milei.
What started as a peaceful demonstration escalated into violent clashes as police deployed water cannons, tear gas, and pellets against stone-throwing protesters.
For weeks, Buenos Aires retirees have held weekly protests demanding higher pensions, citing a precarious standard of living. While previous demonstrations involved minor incidents, including tear gas use against the elderly, Wednesday’s protest was unprecedented in scale.
The government of far-right President Javier Milei, who has championed a policy of public spending cuts since coming to power a year and a half ago, had warned of restrictions on entry to stadiums for those who cause disorder.
Police deployed shotguns and water hoses before the scheduled 5:00 p.m. protest.
Clashes erupted when a large group of Boca Juniors soccer fans, waving flags and chanting in support of the retirees, arrived. Police formed a cordon to block their advance toward Congress.
At the rear, a group of elderly protesters were pushed back by high-pressure water cannons fired by two tanks at the perimeter closest to the Legislative Assembly.
In an unprecedented show of unity, fans from Boca Juniors, River Plate, and other Argentine soccer clubs joined pensioners who gather outside Congress every Wednesday to protest the government’s austerity measures.
Surrounded by police, protesters chanted, “Don’t touch the elderly.” A man draped in the Argentine flag held a sign that read “Help me fight. You’ll be the next elderly person.”
A resolution published Wednesday by Argentina’s Ministry of Security bans anyone who engages in violent behavior, disrupts security, traffic, or public order from entering soccer stadiums. This means that fans involved in Wednesday’s riots will be barred from attending their team’s games for a period set by the authorities.
____
Associated Press writer Débora Rey contributed to this report.
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america