‘They take our water, our soil’: protesters fight ‘foreignisation’ as Javier Milei encourages land sales in Argentina
The country’s far-right president is courting billionaire investors by removing a block on foreign ownership of land and natural resources
TL;DR
- Protests, including a 'march of anger,' occurred in Argentina against President Javier Milei's deregulation decree, particularly measures affecting land protections.
- Activists, including Professor Marta Sahores, are concerned about foreign land ownership and the potential exploitation of water and soil resources.
- Milei's administration aims to open resource-rich areas to foreign investment and has sought to repeal or weaken the 2011 Land Law.
- The 2011 Land Law limits foreign land ownership, but some areas already exceed these caps, with significant foreign holdings in regions like Lácar.
- Legal challenges to Milei's reforms are ongoing, with recent supreme court decisions impacting the path of land law changes.
- A stripped-down version of a private property bill passed the Senate, removing some controversial foreign land cap increases.
- The government is promoting investment regimes like Rigi to attract foreign capital, offering incentives for mega-projects.
- Indigenous communities face eviction threats and a rollback of protections, with the repeal of laws suspending Indigenous evictions and dissolving a national registry.
- Critics argue that Milei's policies are accelerating a historical pattern of land dispossession and systemic racism against Indigenous populations.
- Experts warn that Milei's investment-friendly policies may come at a significant cost to public coffers and prioritize individual private rights over the common good.