Protests in Buenos Aires on 18 December 2017. Image: Javier Valente. Some rights reserved.
This article is part of Right to Protest, a partnership project with human rights organisations CELS and INCLO, with support from the ACLU, examining the power of protest and its fundamental role in democratic society.
Twice in the last ten days, Argentines took to the streets by the tens of thousands to protest against a legislative reform that will hurt millions of people who receive pension, disability and child welfare benefits – exacerbating inequality in an already difficult economic scenario. And twice in the last ten days, the security forces besieged Buenos Aires’ city centre in violent operations that had clear political and judicial backing. These actions seek to intimidate, repress and punish the exercise of the right to protest – a fundamental right in any democracy.
