Tens of thousands of Argentines marched on Tuesday (May 12) through downtown Buenos Aires and major cities across the country to demand that ultraliberal President Javier Milei reverse the cuts he applied to the budget of public universities.

The protest took place at a delicate moment for the government, whose popularity has plummeted this year amid economic difficulties and corruption allegations.

Students, teachers, researchers, union members and opposition leaders took part in the massive demonstration, which ended in Plaza de Mayo, in front of the Government House.

Milei, who took office in late 2023 with a promise to make deep cuts to public accounts in order to eliminate the fiscal deficit, vetoed a Congressional law in 2025 that guaranteed an increase in the university budget.

Although his decision was overturned by Congress, when senators overwhelmingly rejected the veto, the government still has not implemented the funding stipulated in the law.

Now the National Supreme Court of Justice will have to rule on the matter after an extraordinary appeal filed by the government, which argues that it does not have the necessary funds to finance the law.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (MAY 12, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF PROTEST

2. BANNER READING (Spanish): “Defend public university”

3. BANNER READING (Spanish): “Defend public university and democracy”

4. BANNER READING (Spanish): “(President Javier) Milei comply with the law”

5. DEAN OF NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO NEGRO, ANSELMO TORRES, LEADING MARCH

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DEAN OF NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO NEGRO, ANSELMO TORRES, SAYING:

"Since December 2023, we've been facing a strong budget restriction and we're losing. We've held three previous marches, this is the fourth one. We've made Parliament understand our demand. It has approved a law (the University Financing Law), we've appealed to the judiciary, they've ruled in our favor in first and second instances and still, the government doesn't respond or comply with the law. The situation is dramatic because many professors are leaving the university system."

7. PEOPLE MARCHING WITH SIGNS

8. SIGN READING (Spanish): “Comply with the law”

9. SIGN READING (Spanish): “203 days without complying with the law”

10. PEOPLE MARCHING

11. SIGN READING (Spanish): “University is not up for negotiation”

12. VARIOUS OF PROTESTER HOLDING SIGN SHOWING HER APRIL SALARY OF 221,392 PESOS (about 159 USD)

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROFESSOR AT THE FACULTY OF VETERINARY SCIENCES OF THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LA PLATA, CAROLINA CONTI, SAYING:

"221,000 pesos (about 159 USD) was my salary for April. How does this impact us? The quality of professors is not the same because we have to do different jobs; clearly, only working as professors is not enough. This affects professors, researchers, and the entire university community. Today, the accumulated inflation over the last two years means our salary is below the poverty line."

14. PEOPLE MARCHING

15. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING

16. SIGN READING (Spanish): “If the university is empty, how do we fill the future?”

17. PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS

18. SIGN READING (Spanish): “203 days without implementing the law of university financing”

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEMBER OF THE UNIVERSITY FEDERATION OF LA PLATA, SOFIA MARTINEZ, SAYING:

"Without this law, we have fewer resources for science, research, grants, for students to be able to access university, but also, for example, so that fellow professors, students, and researchers can have a grant and research different topics. Don't forget that here in Argentina, a stream by the CONICET (science and research agency) went viral as it discovered the seabed. Also, we collaborated with the satellite that went to the moon recently with Artemis 2."

20. (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE FOOTAGE OF PROTEST

21. PEOPLE MARCHING