Milei cuts funding for education and students occupy universities

All 62 public universities are up in arms across Argentina and have declared a 24-hour general strike as thousands of students protest in front of the national congress. Deputies voted against further investment in public education. A repressive protocol was activated and youth who demonstrated peacefully were violently repressed, 7 people were arrested. Showing Milei’s admiration for repressive regimes, such as Zionist and genocidal Israel. Fascist government uses violence to transform Argentina into a US colony.

Bruno Falci, from Buenos Aires, for Portal O Cafezinho

The university is in mourning: national strike and reaction from students, who occupied all universities in the country, after Javier Milei’s veto. The deputies sold out in front of the government’s chainsaw. In the Chamber, the Casa Rosada managed to maintain the presidential veto with the support of Proposta Republicana (PRO), a neoliberal party led by former president Maurício Macri. The demonstration in the streets, across the country, demonstrated that Argentine society is not willing to give up on public universities.

The opposition failed to approve the University Financing Law. He gathered 160 votes, which were insufficient against the 85 of government legislators. The 5 abstentions that occurred at the venue played in their favor. Therefore, the necessary 2 thirds were not reached. Specifically, the ruling party managed to protect Milei’s decision against the law that established an increase for workers at the country’s 62 public universities.

Argentina has 2.5 million university students. Most of them continue their careers in greater Buenos Aires, where there are 25 national universities, 16 of which are located in the suburbs. The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) had as students and professors no less than 15 Argentine presidents and graduated five Nobel Prize winners: Carlos Saavedra Lamas (Paz, 1936); Bernardo Houssay (Physiology, 1947); Luis Federico Leloir (Chemistry, 1970); Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Paz, 1980) and César Milstein (Physiology, 1984). It is this heritage that the denialist ruler intends to annihilate.

“The popular will was defrauded and democracy gave in to the anti-republican management of governing by decree of the National Government”, begins the text released a few minutes after the legislators voted. ´And he continues: “A political alliance was formed that is not shaken by the suffering of the great majority, by the demand of all sectors to support what is fundamental: the public university, public education”.

Immediately, the National Universities Union Front called a total national strike for this Thursday and the different student centers in the country have already called assemblies to define the new force measures.

While the deputies had in their hands the possibility of saving public education, students from several universities approached the National Congress, which was completely surrounded, on orders from a Government that does not work for the people, but for confrontation. Once again, the repressive protocol of Security Minister Patrícia Bulllrich was activated, with police forces threatening peaceful protesters, young university students, with batons, bombs and pepper spray.

After weeks of parliamentary discussion, Javier Milei once again received the support of Mauricio Macri – and a sector of the Radical Civic Union (UCR), a center-right party – and managed to get the Chamber of Deputies to support the veto of the University Financing Law .

Far-right government uses dictatorship mechanisms to try to control dissatisfaction. While universities and hospitals are being scrapped by Milei, more than half of the country is on the poverty line.

To try to control inflation, Milei took away the people’s rights and created an economic crisis in the country by reducing workers’ purchasing power, either by reducing their wages or by creating a veritable army of unemployed people.

Argentina seems to have no light at the end of the tunnel, however, on the contrary, the mobilization of the people shows that even in the midst of darkness, there is always hope for a better tomorrow. With resilience and organization.

Busy universities

After the veto was validated in Congress, demonstrations from universities across the country multiplied. After the Chamber of Deputies ratified the presidential veto of the University Financing Law, students deepened their fight plans and the occupation of Universities in different parts of the country multiplied.

The general secretary of the UBA Teaching Union Association, Ileana Celotto, announced that the total strike at national universities this Thursday, October 10, is “in repudiation” of the ratification in the Chamber of Deputies of Javier Milei’s veto of the Law on University Financing.

“Today, when we were in Congress, we agreed to fully convene tomorrow all national universities that will close their doors in a clear sign of repudiation of this situation. The reaction in all WhatsApp groups is one of absolute anger and indignation. But along with the anger comes the desire to continue the fight”, he concluded.

The general secretary of the Student Center of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at UBA, Lucas Bonfante, spoke about the student reaction to the ratification of Javier Milei’s veto on university funding in the National Congress. “The news is not in what happened in Congress, but in the universities, because Milei managed to awaken the student movement”, said the university leader in dialogue with radio 750.