This next 8M (International Workers Women Day) comes as a massive wave of the feminist movement against the attacks of the ultrareactionary government of Javier Milei. A government that, since the very start, attacked every single historic victory of the working class, students, retirees, women and the LGBTQ+, and every single one from the lower class!
Milei’s governmental plans includes, amongst other things, the liquidation of salaries and retirement funds to unsustainable levels; the tariffication and privatization of public education and health; the year-to-year inflation surpasses 270%. Poverty affects almost 60% of the population, and the government decided to remove subsidies to public dining halls which feed millions of children in poverty, with the end goal to give those funds to Catholic and Evangelic churches! All the measures of this government go towards the benefit of the busimessmen and millionaires, while leaving nothing for the working class.
Since the victorious return to “democracy” (for the rich) of 1983, this has been the biggest challenge to the democratic liberties against the Argentinian people. Milei, besides executing vicious neoliberal cuts, also wants to proclaim himself “emperor” and glide over all the institutions and social majorities, he wants to make every worker into a slave with no rights. In fact, he has already attempted to limit the right to protest peacefully.
In this scenario, it should come as no surprise that the feminist movement is one of the largest public enemies of the government. A big part of Milei’s electoral campaign was dedicated to attacking the historical victories such as Legal Abortion or Integral Sexual Education, fundamentally questioning the role of women and diversity in society. His project sentences women to be locked at home and only do domestic work, denying their right to decide over their own body or life.
Recently, this reactionary government has threatened to outlaw abortion in cases of sexual assault, and to abolish the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy Law, which was won marching on the streets in the most democratic way known in Argentina. This law came into effect after years of massive movements; parliamentarian debates with more than 800 specialists; speeches and conferences in schools and universities. The whole of the Argentinian society acted in solidarity with this massive “Marea Verde” (or Green Wave) and received the most welcoming and internationalist embrace with “Pañuelazos” all across the globe.
Given the situation, the feminist movement, the working class, the students, and popular sectors, are already putting resistance against this declaration of war imposed by the government of Javier Milei.
With massive and historical calls to action, like the strike of 24E called by the GCT – the most important labor federation of the country -, the strikes in “Plaza Congreso” fighting off brutal repressions, or the many massive protests in the center of the country and in all of its provinces, the Omnibus Law, one of the main bastions for global attacks usted by this government, was brought down.
With the momentum of this victory, Feminist Assemblies have started, where hundreds of women have already started to organize a historic call to action on the streets for the Feminist Strike of March 8th, to defend the Law of Legal Abortion and confront the reactionary plans of Milei’s government.
This feminist movement has built internationalist bonds of solidarity across the world: With protest in favor of the #MeToo movement, or the first Women’s March against Trump. Another example of this is when the feminsits came out to the streets to embrace the Iranian movement in rebellion against the Hijab or when this movement movilized in protest all across the globe against the brutal genocide againts the palestinian people. Today, we make it known that we support the battle that the Argentinian people are facing against the brutal measurements of Milei’s government!
This March 8th, a very important struggle will take place, where women and diversity will fight and mobilize in Argentina for the right of Legal Abortion. This is part of the battle that the working class are giving to bring down Milei’s reactionary plan. But this battle transcends borders, as it’s also part of the resistance against the emergence of the extreme far-right on an international scale and their systematic attacks against the democratic victories of women’s movements.
In light of this, we come together in sorority with the fight revolving the movement of the next March 8th; may our voices be heard all across the globe screming: brothers and sisters of Argentina, we are with you!
We repeat their words “We are a Wave, we could be a Tsunami”
