Looting extends in Argentina: two people shot dead, dozens injured in clashes with police

A rash of looting and ransacking of supermarkets in Argentine major cities and several provinces left two people killed, dozens injured and hundreds arrested. The looting and vandalizing of supermarkets began in the Patagonian resort of Bariloche on Thursday and seemingly triggered a knock-on effect across different provinces, as similar incidents began to arise in Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Chaco provinces.

Women and teenagers looting the food stalls  

Looters loaded with electronic appliances flee from the supermarket  

Police with water cannons and tear gas clash with vandals

In Rosario one of the victims of the clashes between looters and police, identified as Carina Paz, 36, was shot in the head whilst entering a supermarket. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Rosario police also said that a man was killed after being shot in the chest in Villa Gobernador Gálvez, a town located on the southern fringe of Rosario City.

Argentina’s second largest city media reported that at least 25 attacks on supermarkets, furniture stores and small shops were being carried out in the Rosario area.

Various local government officials spoke with reporters over the action being taken in order to control the chaos caused in the different towns and cities.

In Campana, the town’s cabinet chief Claudio Rodríguez, assured that over one hundred people had been arrested. “We haven’t ruled out a possible political connection,” to the crimes, the official added.

Even in the high income neighbourhood of San Fernando famous for its marinas on the Parana River 20 miles north of Buenos Aires police forces had to fight back looters.

Meanwhile four hundred Border Guard officers, deployed by the federal government to Bariloche on Friday to enforce police control after Thursday's violent supermarket looting incidents, which saw more than 33 people injured. Yesterday five large supermarkets were ransacked, leading to violent clashes between police and looters.

According to official reports during night clashes as police tried to restore order, thirty-three people were reported to have been injured including 18 police officers and 15 teenagers.

From El Calafate in Santa Cruz province, President Cristina Fernandez agenda to spend a quiet peaceful family Christmas reunion has been altered. Since arriving on Thursday evening she has been in contact with the cabinet and governors to try and contain the situation from further spreading, and looking for culprits.

At first it was suspected that frictions and disputes inside the ruling Victory Front in the province of Rio Negro to which Bariloche belongs could be behind the uprising or even police discontent following the elimination of special riot units in the province.

However this was quickly discarded after the rival factions closed ranks and the at times overwhelmed Rio Negro police force was relieved to receive support from the gendarmerie.

Now the government guns are pointing to the dissident organized labour led by Hugo Moyano and his allies but this still has to be proved and obviously was rejected point blank by these organizations.
 

Rioting and looting because the President is out of touch with the people, says Moyano

Argentine dissident organized labour leader Hugo Moyano claimed on Friday that President Cristina Fernandez is out of touch with the people and “the lackeys she has are scared of her and can only say stupid things”. Moyano’s strong words followed accusations by the government that he was behind the extended rioting and looting that hit several Argentine cities on Thursday and Friday.

Abal Medina from Government House blamed dissident unions

Moyano said the lackeys that surround the president can only say stupid and idiotic things  

Berni insists that the lootings were clearly organized and had political intentions

“I think the president is out of touch. She sends these blokes to say a lot of stupid and idiotic things. The government can’t pretend to be serious with these lackeys”, underlined Moyano without naming any official but in direct reference to cabinet chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina and Security Secretary Sergio Berni whom he described as a “devalued Rambo”.   

The teamsters boss said that the government’s officials were a pack of ‘bigmouths’ that can only repeat stupidities and this is because “the government has no answers, no replies so it then tries to play the role of the victim and accuses the workers”
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“These officials are acting as in the time of military dictatorships. They accuse whoever they please and invite people to come and bash us. They are provoking people into violence, when in reality teamsters are victims because many of our lads had their cargoes stolen and were also beaten”, insisted Moyano.

The teamsters’ leader pledged that “these gentlemen will have to repeat what they are saying before court. They are constantly accusing and disqualifying the workers and the official media are scaring the people to make them think that we who represent workers are responsible for what is going on”.

“The Government created the conditions for the lootings, not workers” underlined Moyano.

Earlier on Friday Cabinet Chief Abal Medina said that the supermarket lootings and widespread violence in several cities across Argentina were linked to anti-government union leaders Hugo Moyano, Pablo Micheli and Luis Barrionuevo.

“In Campana, there is someone linked to the Teamsters union” stressed the cabinet chief during a ceremony at the Government House. “Violent people do not rest and seek to keep on putting a spoke in the wheel,” he added.

Berni in Bariloche, (where the looting started on Thursday) with 400 Border Guards patrolling the Patagonian resort said that the looting was ‘organized’ and ‘respond to political issues’, and then linked them directly to the dissident unions and their leaders such as Moyano and Pablo Micheli.

“They are isolated incidents clearly organized which attempt to distort social peace, and spoil the great moment Argentina is living” said Abal Medina who added “nobody was after food: they were after plasma TVs, LCD, electrical appliances and drinks”.

Asked to be specific about those responsible for organizing the incidents that spread to several provinces and major cities such as Rosario and metropolitan Buenos Aires, Abal Medina said that “the government of Neuquen pointed out to dissident groups from unions and other governors told us they had seen sectors linked to teamsters and the gastronomic union in the incidents”.

“We’re talking of people who clearly have political intentions”, affirmed Abal Medina.