New Clashes Outside Argentine Congress After ‘Omnibus Law’ Passes

Almost an hour and a half after the ‘Omnibus Law’ in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies on Friday was approved, new clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces.

On Wednesday and Thursday, during the congressional debate, the demonstrators tried to block the streets – a limit set by the “anti-picketing” protocol of the Ministry of Security – which led the agents of the different federal forces to react harshly. Pepper spray, rubber bullets, and hydrant trucks were used against the demonstrators, some of whom threw bottles at the motorized troops. Meanwhile, other protesters, many with their faces covered with scarves, broke through the pavement to throw cobblestones and sticks at the police. They also set fire to a garbage can and a discarded mattress, forcing firefighters to be called in.

After the general approval of the law in the Chamber of Deputies, the demonstrators defied the security protocol by cutting off the avenue adjacent to Congress. The police forced them to clear the street and they remained in the square clapping to protest the approval of the law. The “Omnibus Law,” the star project of Javier Milei’s executive, was approved with 144 votes in favor and 109 against. On Tuesday, the remaining 382 articles, a little more than half of the original text (664), will be voted on.