Argentine students occupy university building as funding standoff deepens
Students at the University of Buenos Aires gathered in the central hall of the Exact and Natural Sciences building on October 16 and announced a one-day occupation of the building to protest President Javier Milei's spending cuts. The assembly was part of on-campus protests held that day against the government's austerity policies. Al Jazeera
The campus action followed street demonstrations on Thursday, when thousands of people marched to demand implementation of the university financing law. Students, faculty, staff and university officials took part in the marches, and protesters clashed with police in Buenos Aires during demonstrations over the funding law.
A federal judge has begun fining the government 100,000 pesos, about $70, per day for failing to carry out parts of the law. Judge Martín Cormick ruled on Wednesday, October 14, that the government was not complying with the funding law. An earlier ruling on October 7 had found the government's refusal to comply with the 2025 law requiring increased university funding to be unconstitutional.
The university financing law requires the government to restore university salaries and student scholarships eroded by inflation, regularly update budgets, and fund research, hospitals and infrastructure. Congress approved the measure, along with a separate law declaring a disability emergency, after overturning presidential vetoes.
The government has refused to put both laws into effect, arguing that Congress did not identify how they would be financed. Milei said carrying out the university funding law would threaten his plan to balance the budget. Al Jazeera
Since taking office in 2023, Milei has laid off thousands of state employees, closed ministries, reduced subsidies and cut government-funded programmes. University funding has become one of the most persistent points of conflict over those cuts, with large student-led marches previously pressuring the government to reconsider higher-education budgets.
