Argentina: G20, Counter Summit and Protests Come to a Head

Leaders are starting to arrive in Buenos Aires for the latest Group of 20 (G20) summit, set for this Friday, Nov. 30 through Dec. 1.  It promises to be a controversial meeting, with large protests organized, as well as a month-long counter-summit by leftist and social groups.

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The counter summit against the G20 has already begun and is organized around creating a “common agenda for Latin America.” Cecilia Nahon, former Argentine ambassador to the United States has said, “Today there is no Latin American agenda in the G20. There is no common agenda for Argentina, Brazil, or Mexico.”  

Nahon cites an astounding piece of evidence for the slight against Latin America — the fact that the summit was scheduled for exactly the same date that Mexico will inaugurate its new leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) despite Mexico having the second largest economy in Latin America after Brazil.

The counter summit, organized by different groups, one of which has taken the name No al G20, highlights how the rising right-wing governments of Latin America, such as Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and now Ecuador are taking their marching orders from the financial agendas of other global actors, and are leaving their own countries and citizens open to exploitation, extraction and ultimately destitution.

There will also be summits that include voices that aren’t often heard from in the halls of power or amongst G20 leaders. These include a feminist perspective on financial markets, the destructive impact that corporations have on the environment, and the voices of the Campesinos who often end up being exploited in the rush to drive profits.

A part of the counter summit took place in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States Nov 27, drawing huge crowds. 

Protests

The protests around the G20 are being led by a collaborative of social groups with Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel as it’s face. The route for the protests have been controversial and Argentina’s Ministry of Security has rejected plans for the protests to take place on some major thoroughfares, namely the Obelisk on the Plaza of the Republic and May Avenue.

The organizers are trying to contest that determination based on their right to free assembly.

The current route the protest will take follows San Juan Avenue to the 9th of July Blvd and it is expected to be massive. Residents of Buenos Aires are being actively encouraged to leave the city during the protests.

Additionally, an announcement is expected to be made from the Ministry of Security at 11:00 am local time about additional restrictions and allowances for the protests.