Protests · UB-154
Argentina: police fire tear gas and water cannon as thousands march for university funding
Published 17-10-2026 · UB-154 · 🇦🇷 · ✓ 3 linked sources
Mister Roboto / CC BY 4.0At least 25 people were arrested in Buenos Aires as students and staff demanded that President Javier Milei's government apply a university funding law passed by Congress.
Thousands of students, university staff, trade unionists and opposition activists marched to Argentina's Congress in Buenos Aires on 15-10-2026 to demand more money for public universities, AFP reported. The main rally was peaceful, but dozens of mostly hooded demonstrators broke away and threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon. At least 25 people were arrested and eight police officers were injured, according to the National Security Ministry.
Protesters want the government to apply the 2025 University Funding Law, which requires inflation-linked pay rises for university staff back to December 2023, restored student scholarships and more money to run universities. Congress passed the law, President Javier Milei vetoed it, and lawmakers overrode the veto. The government has not implemented it despite court rulings, including a Supreme Court decision in June.
Presidential spokesman Adrián Ravier said the law was "suspended" while the government pursued legal action. Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva said protesters were trying to cause chaos and that the right to protest does not include violence. A federal judge has begun fining the government 100,000 pesos (about $70) a day for failing to apply parts of the law, Al Jazeera reported.
Students at the University of Buenos Aires' Exact and Natural Sciences faculty announced a one-day occupation of their building. Physics student Emiliano Gato told Al Jazeera that top professors are leaving for private universities because public salaries no longer cover basic needs. A University of Buenos Aires research centre says real spending on public universities fell 41% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period of 2023.
It was the fifth university funding protest since Milei took office in late 2023. His government says austerity has brought monthly inflation down to about 2%, and Milei points to 27 consecutive months of economic growth.