Argentinian football rivals side by side with pensioners on the street

They usually don’t have to know anything about each other, but they still took to the streets together in Buenos Aires: football supporters of the big competitors Boca Juniors and River Plate. After the elderly were injured in earlier protests against the low pensions, the fans from solidarity decided to demonstrate side by side. That ended in large -scale riots.

According to the Argentinian authorities, around 90 people were arrested and 15 people were taken to the hospital, including an agent who had shot and a demonstrator who was hit by a tear gas grenade.

The elderly in the capital Buenos Aires have been gathering every Wednesday at the Parliament building for weeks to protest against the discounts on their retirement, introduced by the extremely right -wing President Milei. It came to power at the end of 2023 and wants to cut the towering inflation into the country in pensions.

According to the opposition, however, those cutbacks are at the expense of the most vulnerable in Argentina and many elderly people have difficulty making ends meet.

After the elderly were injured in earlier protests, among other things due to the use of tear gas by the police, supporters of football clubs in the Buenos Aires decided to join forces. With their presence, they wanted to protect the elderly against new incidents.

In addition, they were inspired by the Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona. During the demonstration, the football fans cited a quote from him: “How can I not defend pensioners? You have to be a real coward not to defend pensioners.”