Police and supporters of Argentina’s vice-president clash in Buenos Aires

Police in Buenos Aires have clashed with tear gas and water cannons with hundreds of supporters of Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez in incidents that have so far left an unspecified number of people injured and arrested, according to Argentine media reports.

According to Security sources have confirmed, at least 14 agents have been injured, during clashes against supporters of Fernandez de Kirchner. Among the injured policemen, there is a police commissioner with a cut on his head and several officers with different traumatisms.

Demonstrators began to tear down the fences surrounding her home in Recoleta (Buenos Aires) placed by the Police to contain the demonstrations in her favor after the request of the prosecutor Diego Luciani, who has asked for 12 years in prison for her for several alleged corruption crimes.

Kirchner had protested through a message published on her web page the imposition of these fences, whose demolition has been confirmed by ‘Clarín’ journalists at the scene.

For the vice-president, the fences ordered by Rodriguez Larreta want to “prohibit the absolutely peaceful and joyful demonstrations of love and support, which take place in the face of the already undeniable persecution of the judicial party” of which the president understands she is the object.

After the clashes, Cristina Fernandez has thanked the support of her militants and criticized the actions of the local authorities. “They are something more than preventing free circulation, (…) they want to prohibit the absolutely peaceful and joyful demonstrations of love and support, which take place in the face of the already undeniable persecution of the judicial party”, she has assured.

The Buenos Aires governor, Axel Kicilof, questioned the decision of Larreta’s government to fence off the vicinity of Kirchner’s home. “Mr. Larreta has to immediately remove the fences and let the people demonstrate,” he said.

Larreta has given a press conference in which he has proposed a dialogue table, before criticizing Kirchnerism because “it does nothing but throw fuel on the fire”.

The prosecutor considers Fernández de Kirchner responsible for an alleged illegal scheme to defraud the State through the concession of public works in Santa Cruz.

Kirchner has long denied wrongdoing and called the case a political persecution. The Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, has shown his support along with other leaders of the region, such as the Colombian Gustavo Petro and the Bolivian Luis Arce, who have condemned that this “harassment” obeys to an interest to “bury” their political ideas.