BUENOS AIRES (Realist English). President Javier Milei was attacked with stones and bottles while campaigning in Buenos Aires Province on Wednesday, as demonstrators protested a corruption scandal that has engulfed his administration.
The incident occurred in Lomas de Zamora, 20 kilometres south of the capital, where Milei, riding in the back of a pick-up truck alongside his sister and chief-of-staff Karina Milei, was greeting supporters. Protesters hurled rocks, plants and bottles at his motorcade, forcing security to rush the president and his entourage from the scene. Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said Milei was unharmed and “no officials were injured.”
Clashes broke out afterwards between supporters and opponents of the president. A female Milei supporter suffered rib injuries and was taken to hospital. Protesters shouted “Milei out,” accusing the government of corruption and cuts to social benefits.
The demonstrations came against the backdrop of a scandal at the state disability agency ANDIS. Audio recordings released last week, allegedly by former agency head Diego Spagnuolo, claimed that Karina Milei personally profited from funds intended for people with disabilities. President Milei, speaking just minutes before the protests, dismissed the allegations as lies, vowing to take Spagnuolo to court. Cabinet chief Guillermo Francos described the affair as a “political operation” by the opposition ahead of the October 26 midterm elections.
Courts have ordered raids and asset seizures, though no charges have yet been filed. The case has dominated Argentina’s media and political debate, with Karina Milei — widely seen as her brother’s closest adviser — at the centre of scrutiny.
The scandal threatens to damage Milei as he faces his first electoral test since taking office in December 2023. The libertarian president has imposed sweeping austerity, winning praise for cutting inflation and achieving a budget surplus but fuelling anger over reduced spending on pensions and disability support.
“The saddest thing is that there are people who support hunger, misery, aggression, the whole disaster caused by this government,” said Ramón, a protesting retiree in Lomas de Zamora.
