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View Full Version : What's going on in Argentina?



Red Commissar
9th November 2012, 06:42
This comes up as "hot" news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20263760


Argentines march in mass protest at government policies

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/64026000/jpg/_64026521_buenosaires.jpg

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, in protest at the government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Opposition activists used social networks to mobilise the march, which they said was one of the biggest anti-government protests in a decade.

Those gathered said they were angry at rising inflation, high levels of crime and high-profile corruption cases.

President Fernandez was re-elected by a landslide to a second term in 2011.

Her approval ratings have since dropped and protests against some of her policies have mounted.

Official figures say inflation is at 12%, but analysts say it is probably much higher.

The International Monetary Fund warned Argentina in September that unless it produced reliable growth and inflation data by December, it could face sanctions.
Global crisis

Protesters also voiced their objections to restrictions introduced last year, and further sharpened this year, on the purchase of dollars, which have made it harder for Argentines worried about inflation to trade in their currency.

The government says the slowdown of the Argentine economy is the fault of the global financial crisis rather than its policies.

Supporters of President Fernandez say the protests are driven by people from the middle and upper class worried about losing their privileges.

They point to policies supporting the poor, such as cash payments to the unemployed, as the real achievements of her government.

Are you in Argentina? Did you take part in the protests? You can send us your experiences using the form below.
Truth be told I wasn't really paying attention to Argentina beyond the occasional Falklands/Malvinas/whatever spats that came up. What's the case here? Tea Party-type angry "middle-class" and upper class driven protest, or is there some working class organization behind this? Just from the article I lean towards the former, but I want to hear the full story.

Soomie
9th November 2012, 16:13
I saw this as well and was wondering the same thing. I haven't exactly heard anything going on in Argentina prior to this. The only thing I understand is that the people are very upset with el presidente (Tropico reference).

R_P_A_S
9th November 2012, 17:18
Yeah.. wth.. I though people liked her.

Geiseric
9th November 2012, 17:26
She's trying to protect the nationalized Argentinian oil resources, right? That's definitely a good thing. She's more of a populist from what I understand.

R_P_A_S
9th November 2012, 17:48
She's trying to protect the nationalized Argentinian oil resources, right? That's definitely a good thing. She's more of a populist from what I understand.

So if this is true... Can we say this is the type of protest Chavez faced in 2002?

RedSonRising
9th November 2012, 18:07
She's a preferable option to potential neo-liberal candidates pushing for even further austerity, but no type of bourgeois leadership is ever going to sufficiently cushion the disastrous effects of a world crisis. Argentina barely had a decade out of a national economic crisis prior, and the workers mobilizing to take over abandoned factories and turn them into cooperatives were plenty vocal about their dissatisfaction with Nestor Kirchner. History is repeating itself with another crisis and another Kirchner, and hopefully, another wave of proletarian direct action.

EDIT: An Argentine comrade of mine just told me these were organized by the right, so scratch what I said. But hopefully history does repeat itself under present conditions.

Anarchocommunaltoad
14th November 2012, 22:12
Has everything calmed down yet?

maskerade
15th November 2012, 00:25
if i remember correctly, the biggest challenge to her rule was from the left not the right. the runner up in the 2011 election was Hermes Binner, who represented a left-wing coalition. i don't know much about these protests but i wouldn't be surprised if it was either a tea-party style thing or more progressive. all i know is that mainstream media sucks because i don't know anything.

Delenda Carthago
15th November 2012, 00:56
She's trying to protect the nationalized Argentinian oil resources, right? That's definitely a good thing.
Not all nationalizations are for the best interest of the people. Specially that cas was an open back door to the chinese imperialism.