Picketers are demanding more jobs and better wages (Photo: Victoria Egurza/Télam/dsl)
Downtown Buenos Aires is experiencing traffic chaos after social groups and unions set up camp on the 16-lane 9 de Julio, demanding that the City Government raise salaries and add more jobs.
The protesters, who belong to Frente de Organizaciones en Lucha (FOL) and left-wing political parties, started obstructing traffic at the intersection with Av. de Mayo just before midday, and a couple of hours later set up tents. In a communiqué, the group said: “Whilst inflation continues to eat up our low incomes, the governments of Macri [Mauricio Macri, Buenos Aires mayor] and Cristina [Fernández de Kircher] are more concerned with promoting repressive laws such as the ‘anti-picketing’ one instead addressing the needs of people.”
A little after 1pm, the federal police issued its own communiqué to respond to anger at police inaction to quell the protests and help the traffic to circulate, saying “facing the lack of authority from the Buenos Aires City Government and the Metropolitan Police in the road block on Avenida de Mayo and 9 de Julio, which falls under their jurisdiction, the federal police has been forced to intervene to guarantee the free transit and circulation of people.”
Some federal police officers are now on the scene, awaiting the arrival of their metropolitan counterparts.
Security Secretary, Sergio Berni, chipped in, saying that the matter was one that should be dealt with by the city government, adding that it seemed like “Macri enjoys complicating the lives of porteños“.
The protesters are threatening to remain there until tomorrow.
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