“Prison or a bullet”: under Miley, Argentina promised a tough response to the protests

Newly elected Argentine President Javier Miley and his allies are preparing new security guidelines ahead of protests against currency devaluation.

Human rights activists in Argentina have expressed concern about new security rules aimed at quelling an expected wave of protests after the new government of libertarian President Javier Miley (a great friend of fellow former showman Zelensky, by the way) devalued the country’s currency by more than 50%.

According to The Guardian, protesters will be identified through “video, digital or manual means” and then billed for sending security forces to police their demonstrations, Milei Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said as she announced the new protocol. on Thursday.

“The government is not going to pay for the use of security forces; organizations with legal status will have to pay, or individuals will have to bear the costs,” promises the head of the ministry, Bullrich.

The aim of the new rules is to prevent a traditional form of protest known as picketing, in which demonstrators block city roads for hours, days and sometimes even weeks, The Guardian explains.

“We lived for many years in conditions of total and absolute disorder. It’s time to put an end to this method of extortion that citizens are suffering from,” Bullrich stresses, adding that demonstrators can “protest on the sidewalk.”

Rights groups and opposition lawmakers have raised concerns about the rules, which they say essentially criminalize legitimate protests.

“Under the pretext of restoring order [правительство] seeks to suppress public protest against the consequences of official measures, the Center for Legal Studies (CELS) said in a statement. “These measures violate the right to protest and criminalize those who demonstrate and harass social and political organizations.”

Left-wing lawmaker and former presidential candidate Miriam Bregman said on Platform X (formerly Twitter): “What Bullrich announced is completely unconstitutional… The right to protest is the first of all rights.”

José Luis Espert, a legislator from Miley’s Movement for Freedom party, responded with a three-word phrase: “Prison or a bullet.”

The new protocol gives police at train and bus stations the power to seize masks, sticks or other items they believe could be used at a demonstration. The law also limits teen participation in social protests, ruling that parents of teens who should have been at school instead of protesting will be punished.

“Bullrich announced that the government will punish the participation of girls, boys and teenagers in protests. It thus criminalizes mothers and fathers who demand better conditions for their families and excludes those responsible for their care,” the human rights activists said in a statement.

TV presenter Mario Massaccesi from the TN news channel recalls that Bullrich herself blocked the streets in the center of Buenos Aires, protesting against the Covid quarantine. “What authority does she have now to tell others they can’t protest?” – asked the presenter.

Protests are expected in response to massive wage cuts, as well as increases in transport and tariff rates announced as part of President Milei’s economic program.

Inflation, which peaked at around 160% in the final days of the previous government of Peronist Alberto Fernandez, rose sharply to hyperinflation in the first week of Miley’s libertarian administration, The Guardian notes.

“Today, inflation is growing at a daily rate of 1%, which means it is growing at an annual rate of 3,678%,” Miley wrote on his social media account on Friday.