Clashes Erupt in Buenos Aires as Thousands Demand University Fundingm

News Desk

BUENOS AIRES: Violent clashes broke out in the Argentine capital on Wednesday as thousands of students, professors, and labor union activists gathered outside the National Congress to demand the immediate implementation of a newly enacted university funding law.

Security forces deployed water cannons and tear gas after groups of demonstrators breached police barricades surrounding the parliamentary complex.

The mass mobilization follows months of mounting friction between public academic institutions and President Javier Milei’s administration.

Protesters contend that government delays in releasing allocated funds have severely undermined public universities, leaving institutions unable to meet basic operational costs, pay competitive faculty salaries, or maintain essential infrastructure amid rampant domestic inflation.

The unrest highlights widening societal resistance to the government’s sweeping fiscal austerity campaign, which seeks to eliminate the state budget deficit at the expense of public services.

Opposition lawmakers and civic leaders warned that gutting higher education threatens Argentina’s long-term socioeconomic stability, intellectual capital, and public welfare standards.

Congressional representatives are scheduled to convene an emergency legislative oversight session next week to address the executive branch’s compliance with statutory funding requirements.

Student federations and academic trade unions have vowed to continue nationwide strikes and street rallies until full financial support is restored.