“This cannot go on!” students shout during an assembly in the middle of the central hall of the University of Buenos Aires Exact and Natural Sciences building.
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students → go → building
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poverty → say → forecast
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Milei → threaten → project
The faculty’s central hall is covered with dozens of banners protesting President Javier Milei’s spending cuts.
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hall → cover → cuts
Students have called an assembly to announce the occupation of the university, a traditional form of protest in Argentina meant to raise public awareness and pressure the government.
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Students → call → government
They say they will take over the building for a day.
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they → say → day
Many students and professors here are concerned about the impact of Milei’s austerity policies on public universities and say the future of free higher education is at risk.
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future → say → risk
“Our best professors are leaving en masse.
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professors → leave → masse
With salaries that cannot cover their basic needs, they are leaving for private universities,” Emiliano Gato, a physics student who is part of the group, told Al Jazeera.
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who → cover → Jazeera
“I dream of doing research and teaching at the public University of Buenos Aires.
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I → dream → Aires
It’s a prestigious school.
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It → ’ → ?
But now, with this austerity plan, I don’t know what will happen.
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what → know → plan
Public universities in Argentina have become a major battleground of Milei’s austerity plan.
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universities → become → plan
Students and professors are protesting the lack of funding and the erosion of salaries, which they say is a major threat to the country’s public education.
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they → protest → education
Milei is implementing one of the harshest austerity plans in Argentina’s history.
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Milei → implement → history
Since taking office in 2023, he has laid off thousands of state employees, shut down ministries, reduced subsidies and cut government-funded programmes.
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he → take → programmes
The measures were meant to fight high inflation, which was a major problem in Argentina.
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which → mean → Argentina
Almost three years later, inflation has fallen to around 2 percent a month.
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inflation → fall → percent
Milei says his plan is going well.
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plan → say → ?
“Argentina is growing at a remarkable pace.
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Argentina → grow → pace
We have now recorded 27 consecutive months of sustained growth, and today the country is expanding at four times its historical rate.
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country → record → rate
This growth is being felt across almost every sector of the economy,” said Milei during a recent visit to Washington.
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Milei → feel → Washington
Ripple effects
But not everyone agrees.
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everyone → agree → ?
His plan is also having a profound impact on public education, welfare plans for people with disabilities, pensioners and others who depend on state support.
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who → have → support
The opposition has tried to block many of Milei’s reforms.
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opposition → try → reforms
Last year, Congress overturned presidential vetoes and approved two laws, one increasing funding for public universities and another declaring a disability emergency.
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Congress → overturn → emergency
But Milei’s government has refused to implement them, arguing that Congress failed to identify how they would be financed.
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they → refuse → them
A federal judge has now begun fining the government 100,000 pesos (around $70) a day for failing to implement parts of the financing law, which requires Milei’s government to restore university salaries and student scholarships lost to inflation, regularly update budgets and provide funding for research, hospitals and infrastructure.
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which → begin → research
And that’s why thousands of people took to the streets on Thursday to demand that the government implement it.
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government → ’ → it
All around Buenos Aires, long columns of people blocked the centre of the city as they called for a general strike.
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they → block → strike
Although the protest was meant to be peaceful, it soon turned violent.
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it → mean → ?
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters threw rocks.
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protesters → fire → rocks
The plaza in front of Congress resembled a battleground.
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plaza → resemble → battleground
At least 25 people were detained, and several others were injured, including members of the security forces.
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others → detain → forces
She says she makes around $700 a month and it has become difficult to make ends meet.
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ends → say → 700
“I have come to this protest as a last resort.
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I → come → resort
I love teaching, doing research.
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I → love → research
I shouldn’t be here,” she told Al Jazeera.
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she → tell → Jazeera
“Public education is crucial in this country, to make education accessible to all.
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education → make → all
And the government is ignoring it.”
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government → ignore → it
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
