A shocking event in Buenos Aires evokes the specter of Argentina’s former dictatorship.
Corina de Bonis, a local teacher, was kidnapped, hooded and beaten by unidentified assailants, and the words “Ollas no” carved on her body.
The words refer to an activist movement in Buenos Aires by teachers following a gas explosion in a school that claimed two lives.
Amid ongoing protests over the deteriorating condition of their schools, teachers in the region are keeping children out of school buildings, and are providing them with free meals.
Other teachers have been verbally harassed, and billboards warning “Enough politicking — teach class” have appeared.
The strikes and protest come amid the imposition of austerity measures — including wage freezes and pension cuts — intended to cut the national debt and service loans owed to the International Monetary Fund.
The Argentinian peso has since crashed, interest rates have skyrocketed to 60 percent, and inflation is around 25 percent.
Sources: La Izquierda Diaro (Argentina), Argentina Reports, Telesur (Venezuela)