Hundreds of thousands of Argentines marched through Buenos Aires on Tuesday, the 23rd of April, in a massive protest against President Javier Milei’s budget cuts to public universities, marking the largest anti-government demonstration against his austerity measures, reports Reuters.
The spending cuts are helping to reduce the massive fiscal deficit, but are creating difficulties in the real economy.
Union-backed marches in the capital and elsewhere raised banners reading “Defend public universities”, “Studies are a right” and “Up with the budget, down with the Milei plan”.
Hundreds of thousands of Argentines protested against the policies of President Javier Miley
Protesters are demanding that the decision to cut spending on university development be reversed. pic.twitter.com/JWK1N75NYw
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“I am here to defend public universities”, said Pedro Palm, 82, an architect who graduated from the prestigious University of Buenos Aires (UBA), which recently warned it might have to close its doors after budget cuts.
Milei, who is tackling an inherited economic crisis caused by years of state overspending, is implementing drastic and aggressive budget cuts.
These cuts resulted in a fiscal surplus for three months at the beginning of the year, but have hit the public sector hard.
Argentina’s public universities, such as UBA, which provide free higher education, are heavily dependent on government funding.
“Education is one of the fundamental pillars of our ideology. We do not want to close universities”, said presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni, defending the government’s position and calling for a peaceful march.
Ivan Massari, a teacher of biology and genetics, stressed the importance of defending free education as a means of promoting social equality and providing opportunities for all people. He described public education as a means of social transformation, which allows for development, contributes to society and shapes the future.
Also read: Argentine President Milei warns of impending economic shock in first speech
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