Americas

Americas

20 injured, 10 arrested during protest in northern Argentina

11 February 2014 22:27 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 20 people were injured and 10 arrested on Tuesday during a protest held in Argentina's northern province of Chaco to demand social benefits, APA reports quoting local media.

Local daily El Clarin said that the police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters, organized by the Movement of Unemployed Workers "12 de Junio".

The police action began at 10:30 a.m. local time (1330 GMT), when people were protesting in the streets surrounding the 25 de Mayo Square to demand the government to fulfill the promises of social benefits and housing, El Clarin reported.

According to El Clarin, since the beginning of the protest, the police presence was large and there was risk of clash because Juan Bacileff, governor of Chaco province, had warned he would not tolerate that the protesters cause traffic problems.

"To block the streets is something not allowed by the governor (Bacileff), so the police used the force to avoid this," said Marcelo Churin, Security Secretary of Chaco.