The Buzz in Buenos Aires

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Massive Action Planned for September 16 [Updated]

As of today, occupations in Buenos Aires have spread to 28 high schools, four faculties of the University of Buenos Aires, three institutos terciarios (sort of like community colleges), and three campuses of the National University Institute of Art. Protests are planned for September 16, the 34th anniversary of "La Noche de los Lápices" (Night of the Pencils), when the military dictatorship kidnapped ten high school students, locked them away in illegal detention centers, and tortured them. Six of the students were disappeared; only four survived. The anniversary is traditionally marked by protest actions, and as students are currently mobilized a massive day of action is expected.

Update (Thursday 8:53 pm): Thousands of students and teachers participated in a massive march in Buenos Aires tonight. Chanting "Macri, basura, vos sos la dictadura" (Macri, trash, you're the dictatorship!), they burned effigies of the head of the city government. Some videos of the march are here.

School Occupations Spread in Buenos Aires

According to the Argentine daily Clarín, the number of occupied high schools in Buenos Aires has climbed to 27. In addition, university students at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) have occupied four faculties in solidarity. Today, students at all levels blocked streets in protest, and held open classes in public spaces. For example, students from the Faculty of Social Sciences at UBA held an impromptu class at a busy intersection, using their desks to block traffic. The students are once again planning to march to the Ministry of Education tomorrow, despite the fact that the Minister Esteban Bullrich says he will refuse to receive them.

High School Students Strike, Occupy in Buenos Aires

High school students have occupied more than 20 high schools in the city of Buenos Aires, demanding among other things much needed structural improvements to the school buildings (see video) as well as financial aid to students with economic need. The occupations began almost a month ago, and have paralyzed the city's school system, as many teachers seem to have come out in support of the students as well.

On Monday, students marched to the Ministry of Education, where the minister received them and presented them with a plan to address their infrastructural demands. But the plan was rejected because many schools were offered insufficient funding, while others were entirely left out.

Many students blame the head of the city government, Mauricio Macri of the conservative PRO party, for his privatization agenda.

For more information (in Spanish), see Indymedia Argentina and the Buenos Aires daily Clarín.