A demonstrator being hit by a water canon jet in the National Congress area, Buenos Aires, Argentina March 12, 2025. Photo: Damián Dopacio.
More than 100 people were arrested and dozens injured amid police repression during the weekly march of retirees in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital. Among the injured was an 87-year-old pensioner struck by a water cannon and Pablo Grillo, a 35-year-old photojournalist who suffered multiple skull fractures and a traumatic brain injury after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister.
The police advance was unbridled, premeditated, and announced in advance. Authorities sought to stop at all costs a popular demonstration expected to draw large crowds, including a new group of participants: fans of various football clubs. The repression began even before the march started and extended into a broader crackdown. These scenes unfolded on Wednesday, March 12, around Congress and spread to Plaza de Mayo, Corrientes Street, 9 de Julio Avenue, and nearby areas, lasting for hours before and after the protest. This week, retirees were joined by supporters of numerous football clubs, including entire families, whom the government of Javier Milei labeled as “hooligans.”
Patricia Bullrich, Milei’s security minister, made disdainful, inhumane, and misinformed comments about the gravely injured Grillo, saying, “He is a Kirchnerist activist who works in the municipality of Lanús with [Mayor] Julián Alvarez, and he is under arrest.” Her remarks came while Grillo fought for his life at Ramos Mejía Hospital.
By then, shocking images of the moment police fired a tear gas canister at Grillo’s head from close range, as he bent down to take a photo, had already circulated widely. Bullrich’s accusation revealed prior intelligence gathering on the victim but provided no details about the wounded or detainees.
Fabián Grillo, the injured journalist’s father, condemned Bullrich’s remarks outside the hospital where his son was being treated. “Being an activist is a badge of pride; we are a family of activists,” he said. “My son is both an activist and a photojournalist who reports independently on marches. He is in danger because of a drunken woman and a brainless man who talks to a dead dog and gives orders to murder.”
“Where were they taken?”
As this article went to press, confusion persisted about the status of detainees. Police patrol cars carrying detainees roamed downtown Buenos Aires late into the night. With no official data available, various organizations compiled their own lists of names, but figures varied across police stations. The Buenos Aires Ministry of Security reported 89 arrests (only by its forces), while some groups recorded 103, including 26 women.
After 11 pm, at the City Police Monitoring Center near the Obelisk, detainees were seen inside police vans, others on the ground behind a fence, and some being transferred without lawyers receiving information about their destinations. An estimated 90 detainees were taken to Police Station No. 4 in Parque Patricios.
At the time of publication, lawyers believed female detainees would be transferred again. “This is an unprecedented situation because there are no official lists,” said Daniela Ledesma, a lawyer and leader of the Evita Movement, in an interview with Página/12 . “All lists were prepared by organizations tracking individuals. We don’t know what charges they face; authorities haven’t told us anything. There’s no process: detainees are moved without notification.”
That evening, social leader Juan Grabois visited the Monitoring Center seeking information about detainees. “Where were they taken?” became the repeated question from lawyers and members of various organizations who found no answers from authorities. Sometimes, they pieced together information by consulting colleagues and comparing names and ID numbers.
A priest beaten up by the police
One victim of the crackdown was Father Francisco “Paco” Olveira, a member of Priests in Option for the Poor. Near Congress, as federal police attempted to arrest a demonstrator, Father Paco intervened, wearing his Boca jersey: “I am Father Paco, you’re not taking him! Take me if you want!” He was beaten and thrown to the ground.
“It’s true they tried to arrest me, but a policeman said, ‘Not this one, he’s a priest,’ and they detained Carlos Ávila, an altar boy who was with me,” the priest later told reporters. “We’re living in a dictatorship, not a democracy. There’s no right to protest; all they know is how to beat people. As Diego [Maradona] used to say, ‘You have to be a big shit not to stand with retirees.’ That’s why we’re here.”
🚨AHORA: #Represión policial con gases en la manifestación en defensa de los #jubilados en la Plaza del #Congreso. pic.twitter.com/PIK4fDbsB4
— Tiempo Argentino (@tiempoarg) March 12, 2025
Daniel “Tano” Catalano, leader of the trade union platform ATE Capital, narrowly avoided arrest. He was held on the ground for a prolonged period with about 30 other demonstrators, who were eventually released. “I’m fine now,” Catalano wrote on social media. “Thanks to everyone who showed solidarity. Several comrades from ATE Capital remain detained. We demand their immediate release. Today, Patricia Bullrich’s police crossed every line.”
Hours after the march dispersed, repression continued in the streets. On television, Bullrich threatened, “We’ve filmed all the faces of those wearing club jerseys and will apply admission rights [in court], along with harsher penalties in criminal complaints. They came to seize Congress. There were barely 40-50 retirees; then the left arrived, followed by narco-political gangs supported by mayors and councilors. We’ll send them to prison for years for illicit association and gang membership.”
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Some images of the day
Some moments from the march highlighted the government’s intentions behind the unprecedented repression:
- A patrol car abandoned in the street, doors open, overturned, and set ablaze — an image destined for mainstream media covers.
- A policeman caught on camera planting a revolver by tossing it to the ground in broad daylight near Congress. Later, Bullrich and news anchors repeatedly referenced “guns, weapons, and knives” allegedly wielded by protesters.
- A fire truck advancing while shouting, “Come on, lefties!” as it drenched crowds to disperse them.
- Special forces driving private vehicles around Plaza de Mayo, criticized by Congresswoman Victoria Montenegro.
Condemnations
The Roundtable of Human Rights Organizations demanded “an end to the repression and the immediate release of detained protesters.” Groups including the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Founding Line, Families and Companions of the 12 of Santa Cruz, and the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights denounced the national government for violating the Constitution and citizen rights.
Trade union platforms Workers’ CTA and Autonomous CTA condemned “the savage repression through which Milei seeks to impose his economic adjustment plan on retirees and the people by blood and fire.”
Late Wednesday night, residents across Buenos Aires and its suburbs banged pots and pans and honked car horns in protest against the day’s brutality.
Milei basura vos sos la dictadura#Cacerolazo en Corrientes y Scalabrini, Villa Crespo#TodosConLosJubilados#RenunciaMilei pic.twitter.com/OkaAadRzhB
— Pibe Peronista (@PibePeronista) March 12, 2025
Judge orders release of detainees
On Thursday, Judge Karina Andrade ordered the release of all those detained during Wednesday’s demonstrations.
“In response to the defense’s request, I’ve analyzed the provided information and recognize that a fundamental constitutional right is at stake: the right to protest, demonstrate in a democracy, and exercise freedom of expression,” the judge stated. “Today, when the most vulnerable sectors of our nation, such as the elderly, call for action, the judiciary must pay special attention.”
“I believe that, without prejudicing opinions on applicable rights or investigations by the Prosecutor’s Office, the complexity of rights involved in determining criminal conduct precludes applying the flagrancy procedure,” she added. “Therefore… I order the immediate release of those detained in connection with the events at the National Congress.”
(Página12) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
