Federal Police, Prefecture, and Gendarmerie forces repressed a protest outside Congress in Buenos Aires on Friday, injuring more than 1,500 people – including 20 press professionals – and detaining at least 18, during a rally against the ruling party’s Bill on the Inviolability of Private Property, which was subsequently stripped of its two most controversial chapters following widespread social, union, and political rejection.
Among the injured press workers, a photojournalist received a heavy baton blow to the head that caused a fracture to the base of her skull and damage to her left ear. She remains hospitalized under observation and neurological evaluation.
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The security operation began at approximately 16:30 local time and lasted for at least four hours. Tactics included the indiscriminate launching of chemical gases, tear gas canisters, and pressurized water from water cannon trucks, alongside rubber bullets, Byrna rounds, baton blows, and shield thrusts.
The Press Defense Office (DPM) characterized the march as one of the most violent and longest in time and distance seen in recent years due to police action.
In the aftermath, the executive branch of President Milei denounced the demonstrators and is threatening prison sentences of five, fifteen, or thirty years. The Ministry of Security, headed by Alejandra Monteoliva, has filed a criminal complaint.
The rejection of the bill led to the removal of the chapter on the foreignization of land as well as the reform to the Fire Law, which would have permitted the privatization – and effectively the sale – of forested lands affected by wildfires.
Sipreba Secretary-General Agustín Lecchi told the newspaper Perfil that the operation was designed to discourage the mobilization and prevent the events from being recorded. He asserted that the repression was “not naive” and aimed to ensure the square remained empty during the voting hours. Lecchi further stressed that the attack on the protest – and particularly on the press – was intended to prevent the visibility of the repression, adding that professional and critical journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy and “bothers those who believe they are the owners of the truth.” He confirmed that the injured colleague is stable.
NO A LA REPRESIÓN A LA PRENSA Y A LA PROTESTA
Una vez más, el gobierno de Milei reprime a quienes se manifiestan. Una reportera fue herida en la cabeza y decenas de trabajadores de prensa gaseados.
Informar y protestar no es delito. Libertad a todos los detenidos.@aRGra_ pic.twitter.com/q6DGJO6f9n
— SiPreBA – Sindicato de Prensa de Buenos Aires (@sipreba) August 6, 2026
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