Clashes between police and protesters mar labour reform protest

Union workers hurled stones and bottle bombs Wednesday at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as a demonstration against President Javier Milei’s proposed labour reform package turned briefly violent.

As lawmakers debated plans unions claim will make jobs more precarious in the Senate, demonstrators gathered outside the National Congress building to make their opposition known.

At one point, a small group of protesters broke away from the main demonstration, which was peaceful, to throw rocks and other projectiles at police officers guarding Congress.

A few dozen, many hooded and masked, then clashed with police in a show of anger that was soon put down.

Some demonstrators later alleged that security authorities had launched “false flag” attacks on its own security forces, claiming infiltrators were behind the violence.

At around 9pm, federal police advanced on a group of around 200 people, firing rubber bullets.

Reporters and photographers witnessed injuries to one police officer and one protester. 

More than 50 people were arrested, of whom 23 were detained by Federal Police officers and 16 by the City Police. In addition, 10 police officers were injured, six federal and four City. One officer lost consciousness after being hit on the head by a flowerpot thrown from a balcony and is in a serious condition in the Italian Hospital. 

The Buenos Aires City government later said that an estimated 270 million pesos of damage had been caused.

Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva vowed that those responsible for Wednesday's violence "will be identified" and punished appropriately.

"They are dozens of members of leftist groups who acted in an organised manner, with premeditated violence and improvised weapons to... sow chaos. They will pay," she said on X.

– TIMES