Argentine students protest on campus over Milei’s austerity

What the report says

Students and professors at the University of Buenos Aires staged a campus protest on Thursday against President Javier Milei’s austerity program, according to Al Jazeera. The demonstration was centered in the university’s Exact and Natural Sciences building in Buenos Aires, where students held an assembly and announced a one-day occupation to press for more public funding and higher salaries for university staff.

The protest reflects a broader dispute in Argentina over Milei’s budget cuts, which have reduced subsidies, public spending and government programs since he took office in 2023. Al Jazeera reported that university communities fear the measures are weakening free higher education, accelerating staff departures and undermining research, scholarships and infrastructure. The article also noted wider concern about the impact of austerity on pensions, disability support and other state-backed services.

The coverage said a federal judge has started fining the government 100,000 pesos, or about $70, per day for not carrying out parts of a university funding law passed after Congress overturned Milei’s vetoes last year. That law calls for restoring salaries and scholarships lost to inflation and updating budgets. The article also said that protests elsewhere in Buenos Aires turned violent, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets and at least 25 people detained.

The dispute matters because it has become a major test of Milei’s economic agenda and a flashpoint over the future of Argentina’s public universities and social spending.