Buenos Aires Eviction Sparks Political Clash Over Recycling Cooperative and Property Rights
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A contentious eviction of a recycling plant in Buenos Aires has ignited a fierce debate over property rights, urban policy, and the treatment of marginalized workers. On Wednesday, authorities removed “The Dawn of the Cartoneros,” a cooperative operating in Parque Avellaneda, which the city goverment claimed was illegally occupying a property. The action has triggered a sharp response from national deputy Juan Grabois, escalating into a public feud with Buenos Aires Head of government jorge Macri.
City Government Cites Illegal Occupation
The operation, carried out by 20 agents from the Ministry of Public Space and Urban Hygiene alongside City Police, targeted a property located under the Perito moreno highway at Ameghino 1035. macri shared a video of the police intervention on social media, stating the cooperative had “usurped” the property for a decade. “Always the same,” he wrote. “They do not fully understand that things have changed. Property number 553 recovered.”
A senior official from the Macri management detailed that the site was being used as a warehouse without authorization, adding that the recovery is part of a broader effort to reclaim over 550 previously “taken” properties within the city over the past two years. the recovered property will be returned to the General Directorate of Property Administration, of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, for future determination of its use.
Cooperative Claims Legitimate Tenure,Accuses City of Abandoning Dialog
The Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE) – a group vehemently disputing the city’s characterization of the occupation as illegal – asserts that the property was granted to the cooperative more than 15 years ago by the Buenos Aires government specifically for recycling activities.
the MTE states that the facility currently employs 200 workers and processes over 100 tons of recyclable material monthly,including approximately 25 tons of fabric scraps. They claim that recent attempts to engage in dialogue with the City Recycling Department were unilaterally terminated, jeopardizing the livelihoods of workers and the city’s recycling efforts. “They did not demonstrate any ability to solve the real problem, thus putting the jobs of 200 colleagues at risk,” the statement read.
Political Firestorm Erupts
The eviction quickly escalated into a public confrontation between Macri and Grabois – with the national deputy accusing Macri of “messing with humble people,” while Macri retorted that Grabois “was never vrey fond of private property.” The exchange devolved further, with Grabois publicly labeling Macri with a derogatory term and warning that he would “pay” for his actions.
“They disguise their inhumanity to those below by underestimating their collective organization and personalizing it with a rival,” Grabois stated. “They are manual. Perverted textbook cowards. They are bad people.”
Macri responded by reiterating his commitment to upholding the law and asserting that “usurpers have no place” in the city. He emphasized a shift in policy,stating,”Here things have changed. In the City, the law is followed.”
The incident highlights the complex challenges facing Buenos Aires as it navigates issues of urban space,property rights,and the integration of informal workers into the formal economy – according to Ignacio Baistrocchi,Minister of Public space and urban Hygiene,who maintained that the city will continue to intervene to “guarantee order and tranquility” for residents,emphasizing that “coexistence is supported by clear rules that must be met.”
Though, the forceful eviction and the ensuing political battle raise questions about the city’s approach to addressing the needs of vulnerable populations and supporting enduring waste management practices. The future of the recovered property, and the fate of the 200 workers displaced by the operation, remain uncertain.
