chaos during the march in support of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

( Spanish) — This Saturday a march was called in support of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, vice president of Argentina, in front of her house in the Recoleta neighborhood of the City of Buenos Aires, where there were strong incidents between protesters and the police.

According to information from the local government, the violence left a balance of at least 12 injured police officers and 4 detained protesters.

The head of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, confirmed at a press conference that 12 police officers were injured and are in hospital. In addition, he indicated that the clashes occurred after a group of protesters tore down the fences that had been put up the night before to recover public space and allow the mobility of the residents of the sector.

“The demonstration turned into a situation of violence. There was a group of demonstrators who began to tear down the fences, throw stones, attack the police,” said Rodríguez Larreta. “In the city of Buenos Aires, violence is the limit, we are not going to allow situations of violence, as long as there are, the police will act,” he said.

The police repressed the protesters with sticks, water thrown from hydrant trucks and tear gas, according to Télam, Argentina’s official news agency.

The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, reacted on his Twitter account Twitter indicating that he “repudiates” the violence by the city government to what he calls a demonstration of citizens “in freedom and democracy.”

“Today, the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires arranged to deploy a police operation with fences that prevented free movement in the vicinity of the home of the Vice President of the Nation. The operation, far from contributing to the peace invoked, it generated a climate of insecurity and intimidation,” said the president.

Credit: LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

And he added: “I express my strongest rejection of the institutional violence unleashed by the City Government in the face of a massive demonstration of citizens expressing themselves freely and in democracy. The authorities of the City of Buenos Aires and its security forces must work to take care of citizen security, avoiding creating contexts of hostility in the face of massive mobilizations,” the president explained.

Credit: LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

Credit: LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

Credit: LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

“I never saw the police of the city of Buenos Aires intervene to prevent this harassment,” says Fernández de Kirchner

Subsequently, Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner left her residence in the Recoleta neighborhood to speak with the hundreds of demonstrators who were there throughout the afternoon giving her support.

He referred to the incidents that occurred earlier between the police and protesters and indicated that “the violence was caused by hatred of Peronism. They do not tolerate the love and joy of the Peronists”.

Credit: LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

“This corner and in particular whoever speaks has suffered permanent harassment from people who come to insult, insult and threaten me with death. I have never seen the police of the city of Buenos Aires intervene to prevent this harassment, even a citizen, I am a citizen too and I pay my taxes the same as everyone who is here, I have the same right. And then they say that we are the violent ones,” said Fernández de Kirchner.

At the end of her speech outside her home, the former president asked her followers to “go rest because it’s been a long day.”