Argentina property bill protest: Police fire tear gas, water cannons at demonstrators — watch

Police in Argentina used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons as thousands of protesters demonstrated against a controversial private property bill outside the Argentine Senate on Thursday, with clashes erupting as the protest drew to a close.Earlier, thousands of demonstrators, gathered outside the senate despite a heavy police presence. Protesters carried Argentine flags and banners reading, “The homeland is not for sale,” according to an AFP correspondent.

Clashes erupt after protest

As the demonstration ended at nightfall, scuffles broke out at Congress Square, with protesters allegedly throwing stones and other projectiles at police. Videos circulating online showed security forces responding with tear gas, rubber bullets and a water cannon as wind and rain continued.At least two police officers and one protester were injured, according to Argentine media reports and AFP footage. Some media reports said 10 people were arrested, although the figure was not immediately confirmed by authorities.After around two hours of sporadic clashes and standoffs, police cleared Congress Square, while a small number of protesters remained.The protests centered on the “Inviolability of Private Property” bill being debated in Congress. The legislation seeks to change property ownership rules, including by streamlining eviction procedures, altering rural land-use rules and making it harder for the state to take ownership of private property.The government of libertarian president Javier Milei says the bill would provide a legal framework to attract investment. Opposition and environmental groups have rejected the legislation, warning of “colonization, fragmentation, fracture and balkanization of the homeland.”The protesters remained opposed despite the government dropping a provision concerning land purchases by foreigners.Milei’s party, which holds only 20 of the Senate’s 72 seats, removed the chapter that would have increased the limit on land available for foreign purchase from 15 per cent to 25 per cent.Nearly 5 per cent of Argentina’s territory is already under foreign ownership, an area roughly equivalent to England, according to a 2025 report from the University of Buenos Aires and other researchers.The report noted that foreign ownership already exceeds the 15 per cent limit in some districts, particularly in areas “endowed with water and mineral resources, or logistical advantages,” including ports.