Violent eviction at cultural centre: 4 arrests, 16 injured

An eviction carried out by BA city Metropolitan police in the San Martín Cultural Center resulted in 4 arrests and left at least 16 people injured -two of them by lead bullets- on Wednesday’s early morning.

Incidents broke out when police officers evicted a group of demonstrators who were rallying in the intersection of Sarmiento and Paraná streets to support protesters who have been occupying the Alberdi Hall of the building since 2010. When the incidents flared up, people threw stones and the police responded firing tear gas and lead bullets.

Although BA city Security Minister Guillermo Montenegro first denied the police had fired lead bullets to the protesters, the PRO official then admitted that two people were injured by lead bullets “four or five blocks away” from the place where the clashes occurred.

Still Montenegro questioned what he considered a “rare” violence by protesters who are said to have thrown a Molotov cocktail towards riot police from one of the floors of the Cultural Center leading to the violent clashes.

However, one of the demonstrators told media that the person who threw the Molotov cocktail was not part of the protest group.

While Montenegro warned that an investigation would be carried to probe the incidents, back in February district attorney Claudia Barcia ordered the eviction of the San Martín protesters.