Argentina's new government says it will punish protesters by taking away their welfare payments

• Workers' unions and the Workers' Party called for protests in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
• They oppose the new economic measures announced by Javier Milei's government.

Argentina's new government has threatened to punish protesters by taking away their welfare payments.

Sandra Pettovello, Argentina's Human Capital Minister, revealed the plans in a 2-minute video address shared by the president's office on Monday.

She said those who promote, instigate, organize, or participate in the protests will be stripped of welfare payments.

The country's main workers' unions and the opposition Workers' Party have called for protests to be held in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, according to media.

They will protest against the austerity measures contained in the new emergency package announced by Javier Milei's government earlier this month, according reports.

The package includes not renewing state employment contracts that have been in force for less than one year, bringing down the number of ministries from 18 to nine, cutting public expenses by $42 million, and reducing the government's energy and transportation subsidies, per CNN Español.

Argentina's newly-elected president, Milei, had warned of a "shock adjustment" in his inauguration speech on December 10, Business Insider previously reported.

Those who protest won't get paid, he said in his inauguration speech earlier this month, per a livestream by the Argentinian newspaper La Nación.

In a press statement, Argentina's Ministry of Security said the country's four federal forces would crack down on protesters without the need for a judicial order.

"To carry out these measures, the forces shall employ the minimum necessary and sufficient force, which shall be graduated in proportion to resistance," the statement said.

The right to protest is not explicitly mentioned in Argentina's Constitution.

However, it is "contemplated" in the form of freedom of expression, freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association, as well as international treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, per the Argentinian non-profit organization Chequeado.

In a post on X, Workers' Party leader Eduardo Belliboni said the government wants "brutal adjustment against the people" and to "repress those who complain."

"With an inflation rate of 60% monthly, the [welfare] plan will disappear in 2 months," he wrote, before calling on all Argentinians to take to the streets on Wednesday.