A rector confessed to meetings with Kicillof prior to the anti-Milei university march.

Amid the controversy over the low turnout of the last university march, new statements reignited the debate about the political background of the mobilization.

The rector of the National University of Avellaneda, Jorge Calzoni, publicly acknowledged prior meetings with opposition leaders and validated the presence of party structures during the protest against the Government of Javier Milei.

In statements to Radio El Observador 107.9, Calzoni confirmed that there were meetings before the mobilization with different political sectors, including the ultra-Kirchnerist governor Axel Kicillof, whom he praised for his disastrous management.

“Last week we met with several sectors that called us because they were going to support the march. I believe Axel is doing an impressive job in the Province, mainly due to all the conflicts he has regarding resources,” the rector expressed.

The statements come in a context where the march had already been questioned for its marked party imprint. The admission of prior contacts with political leaders reinforces that interpretation and adds elements to the criticisms that point out that the protest was driven and organized with strong intervention from opposition spaces to Milei's Government.

Calzoni himself not only confirmed that participation but also downplayed its impact. “There were all kinds of signs at the march, from leftist sectors, from Peronism, there were sectors from other parties. The march is always political; I’m not worried,” he stated.

These statements align with the observations that had already been made after the mobilization, where the presence of party groups, unions, and Kirchnerist leaders was highlighted.

The low turnout

According to a calculation made by La Nación, the mobilization gathered 120,000 people in Plaza de Mayo and surrounding areas, a figure significantly lower than those recorded in previous editions of the same demand.

The drop in attendance is noticeable when compared to previous protests. In the first march, held in April 2024, 430,000 attendees were estimated in the same area, while in the second, in October of that same year, the turnout reached 270,000 people.

In this context, the last mobilization shows a decline of 72.09% compared to the first, which represents 310,000 fewer people on the streets.