The Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, has presented a new protocol against street blockades as tension increases over the economic cuts announced this week
“The guarantor protocol of Nilda Garré is repealed,” stated Bullrich at the end of her press conference, in reference to the rules governing police actions in the face of protests that was installed in 2011 during the government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Garré, who was Minister of Security at the time, established some basic rules of engagement during demonstrations, such as police intervention being deployed in a “progressive” manner, starting with dialogue with the organizers of the protest. The Garré protocol also established the prohibition of officers who might come into direct contact with the demonstrators from carrying firearms, that rubber bullets could only be used “for defensive purposes,” that all officers and their vehicles should be visibly identified, and that the police should guarantee free news coverage of protests without preventing journalists from taking testimonies and photographs. What the repeal of this protocol would entail remains unclear.
Emphasis mine. It’s pretty clear the consequences will be crackdowns on protesters.
Emphasis mine. It’s pretty clear the consequences will be crackdowns on protesters.