OMM Newsroom
Thousands of students, graduates, teachers and university staff marched to Argentina’s Congress in Buenos Aires on Thursday, demanding that President Javier Milei’s government implement a law guaranteeing funding for public universities.
“We demand that the government comply with the law once and for all,” a university representative said.
The fifth Federal University March brought together university communities, trade unions, political parties and social organizations. Protesters gathered outside Congress to call for increased funding and salary adjustments.
They demanded implementation of the University Funding Law to secure resources for universities, staff salaries and student scholarships.
The demonstration coincided with an opposition effort to debate repealing Decree 70/2023, which Milei signed shortly after taking office in December 2023. Opponents failed to secure the quorum needed to open a special session of the Chamber of Deputies.
The Senate rejected the repeal measure in March 2024, but the decree remained in force pending action by the lower house. It introduced wide-ranging changes to Argentina’s legal and economic framework, including repealing a law restricting foreign ownership of rural land.
The protests followed a court ruling ordering the government to implement the University Funding Law and update salaries and scholarships. The government appealed the decision.
Authorities deployed security forces around Congress, erected barriers and restricted traffic. Local media reported that police used tear gas against protesters.
The mobilization was part of a nationwide day of demonstrations, with university communities and social organizations gathering in other cities to demand funding for public higher education.
