Argentine demonstration over education cuts ends in clashes

Confrontation on the steps of Congress as a group of masked protesters break off from the main rally and confront police who respond with tear gas and water cannons. The demonstration called on the government of Argentinean President Javier Milei to comply with a law on increasing university funding. The law passed by Congress in August 2025 requires inflation-adjusted increases to professors' salaries and student scholarships, but has been vetoed by the president and overridden by parliament. We are earning just enough to eat, barely enough to keep going. We have colleagues who work at night and then go to teach in the morning, sleeping when they can. It's madness. It's an extremely serious situation. A federal judge has ordered a symbolic daily fine for the government until it implements the law. The government says that implementing the law would impede its attempts to achieve fiscal balance. Since winning office, the economically libertarian president has sought to reform and fundamentally change Argentina's economy, targeting inflation still at over 30% and encouraging banks to increase private lending, while slashing public spending. The reforms have been unpopular with the public and with elections next year, the president is going to come under increasing pressure to blunt their impact on the population.