Protests erupted around Argentina demanding food aid for the poor in reaction to the negative impacts of increasing prices and the adoption of President Javier Milei's strict austerity policies.

On Friday, angry protesters took to the streets across the country to denounce Milei and his administration's stringent fiscal policies.

The statistics agency announced last week that Argentina's monthly inflation eased slightly in January, yet prices of essential goods and services surged by 254 percent year-on-year.

Milei, who assumed office in December amid public outrage over decades of economic mismanagement, had cautioned that Argentina's struggle with inflation was ongoing. Last week, he reaffirmed his commitment to his policies.

Alejandro Gramajo of the UTEP union told AFP that in over two months, the government managed to create a "very critical situation of poverty."

Transportation costs have skyrocketed, with bus ticket rates more than tripling and the government has discontinued crucial aid to soup kitchens, which are serving a rising number of people in need.

Demonstrators chanted: “No to the increase in transport costs,” and “Hunger doesn’t wait."

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Employees from the FATSA Federation of Argentine Healthcare Workers' Associations, led by Hector Daer, went on strike for 24 hours on Thursday as well.

Lxs trabajadorxs no se van a resignar a tener salarios de miseria. Seguimos adelante con nuestro Plan de Lucha.#SinSalarioNoHaySalud https://t.co/rkUJZoD8Td

— Héctor Daer (@hectordaer) February 23, 2024

The union leader stated on his social media account that the board was declaring a strike Thursday and moving forward "with any necessary union action to reinstate our comrades’ wages."

A new face in #Argentine politics has risen. A #Trump supporter, gun-rights activist, and an advocate for selling organs.

Who is #JavierMilei?#Argentina pic.twitter.com/ishEab2pfg

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 15, 2023

Earlier this month, Milei's deeply controversial deregulatory reforms faced a major setback in parliament on February 6, when the package was blocked from advancing and was sent back for a rewrite, legislators said. 

On February 2, 15 were injured and two others were detained in front of Congress during anti-government protests, where Milei's reforms had been laid for consideration, local media reported.

Sputnik reported that authorities had interfered and assaulted protesters using batons, rubber bullets, and gas after they blocked the roads, causing traffic. However, protesters were not deterred and continued protesting in front of the congressional building while lawmakers decided whether or not Milei's reforms would be approved. 

In Argentina, police fired rubber bullets from bikes into a crowd of protesters.

The security forces brutally dispersed the protest near the walls of the Argentine Congress, and there were practically no arrests - the police detained only three people. But rubber bullets and… pic.twitter.com/6PoL8OwL1Z

— S p r i n t e r (@Sprinter99800) February 2, 2024