Police detain Father Jorge “Chueco” Romero during a pensioners’ protest in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Members of the “Opción por los Pobres” (Option for the Poor) clergy have joined weekly demonstrations against pension freezes and cuts to essential medical coverage.
In Argentina, aggressive austerity measures aimed at curbing 200% inflation have plunged the nation's older people into a desperate struggle for survival. With the minimum pension hovering around $300 – less than half the estimated basic cost of living – many retirees are forced to ration food and forgo essential medical treatments. Every Wednesday, pensioners gather outside the National Congress to protest low pensions and cuts to free medication programs. These demonstrations are frequently met with heavily militarized police responses, drawing international condemnation.
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