One million Argentines protest in defense of public education

One and a half million Argentines took to the streets this Wednesday (2) to demand compliance with the Education Financing Law, which restores the university budget, hit hard by cuts made by President Javier Milei’s government. In an act of revenge, the liberal announced this Thursday (3) his veto of the law and that “he will veto anything that goes against fiscal balance”.

Students, teachers, representatives of social movements and unions, as well as a large number of independent protesters without flags, gathered in the square in front of the National Congress, in Buenos Aires, the epicenter of the protest, which was also replicated in the country’s main cities.

Committed to fiscal fundamentalism, in the first eight months of the year, Milei caused transfers to universities to plummet 30.1% – in real terms – compared to the same period in 2023.

“It is appropriate for the National Executive Branch to resort to the constitutional instrument of a total veto on the legislative initiative sent to it”, indicates the official bulletin published on the Presidency’s website.

Convened by the National Universities Union Front, education workers and students gained support from union, political and popular organizations, and the protest gained weight at a time of soaring poverty and indigence rates, which reflect the drop in production, wages and employment.

The government classified the march as “political” and considered the demands for teacher salary increases “unjustified”, amid an increasingly tense social scenario with poverty rates exceeding 50% of the population.

“No to the veto of university funding!” said a poster with the image of Mafalda, the irreverent comic book character who is a symbol of rebellion in Argentina. “Education is not vetoed, education is respected”, exclaimed another.