Mass protests against the severe budget cuts for universities in Argentina (PHOTO+VIDEO)

The protests, organized by students, alumni, unions and political parties, are among the biggest in a series of demonstrations that have rocked the capital since the libertarian Millais came to power on a promise to introduce “chainsaw” cuts to public spending and deregulate the economy , CNN reports.

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The protesters

The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) said in a statement that around 800,000 people participated in the protests in Buenos Aires, while Millay’s government claimed there were 150,000 protesters, according to local media. “I feel like it’s a right, it’s like primary and secondary school, I feel like education is a right that we should all have,” said one protester. “Argentine public education, starting at university, is the only method I think this country has today for upward social mobility,” says another.

Photo of the protests: Getty Images

The decision of the Millais government

The Millay government has defended its decision to freeze the 2023 budget for public universities by announcing increases only in operating costs, which UBA says represent only 15% of spending needs. Protesters say the budget freeze effectively means spending cuts. In March, Argentina registered the highest rate of inflation in the world, in double digits, for the third month in a row.

Millay says his cuts to public services are aimed at solving the country’s long-standing economic crisis by reducing excessive government spending, and claims they are already starting to work. The protests come a day after he said in a televised speech that the country had seen a budget surplus for the first time since 2008. “This fiscal result is not just a number on a chart from the Ministry of Economy; this is the guarantee of a sustainable and consistent path to end inflation forever in Argentina,” Millay said during his speech on Monday (22/04).

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The measures

But critics say austerity is squeezing poorer members of society in a country where the poverty rate is above 50 percent, according to a report by Argentina’s Catholic University. Other cuts to public services so far include closing Argentina’s national agency Télam and several ministries, and cutting aid to public kitchens in the poorest suburbs of Buenos Aires. Last month, Millay’s government announced plans to lay off 70,000 civil servants over the next few months.

Protests against Millay’s austerity program began soon after he took office. In January, unions organized a nationwide strike against austerity measures and reforms, and thousands took to the streets in protest.