Cristian Mercatante was seriously injured by Kirchnerist activists while covering LLA's campaign closing
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The campaign closing event for Javier Milei in Buenos Aires Province was marked not only by the massive presence of libertarian supporters at the Villa Ángela de Moreno club, but also by a violent incident involving Kirchnerist activists. Amid the security operation and the tense atmosphere that had already led to incidents in other districts of Greater Buenos Aires, Cristian Mercatante, journalist and television producer, was struck on the head with a bottle while working as a reporter.
Mercatante, 49 years old, was interviewing a group of hooded individuals near the Villa Trujui neighborhood when he was attacked. "I was interviewing them and suddenly I was hit with a bottle," he recounted after the incident. Although he initially avoided naming those responsible, subsequent images and testimonies confirmed that the attack was carried out by Kirchnerist activists who attempted to intimidate the press coverage.
The attack occurred in a context of increasing harassment against La Libertad Avanza. Days earlier, in Lomas de Zamora, libertarian leaders had been targeted with stones and threats. Far from being isolated incidents, these episodes demonstrate violence as a political tool of a Kirchnerism cornered by the wave of change led by Milei.
Who is Mercatante
Mercatante became known to the general public in 2001, when he participated in the reality show El Bar. His life, marked by personal tragedies and moments of extreme vulnerability—including the loss of his mother at the hands of his father, addictions, and years of homelessness—took a decisive turn in 2013, when the production company Kuarzo gave him a job opportunity.
Cristian Mercatante.
Since then, he has established himself as an assistant and television producer in shows such as Los 8 escalones and Desayuno Americano. He also participated in Policías en acción and currently works on casting teams for new programs on digital platforms. In addition, he collaborates with community kitchens and supports people recovering from addictions, stating that he has been clean for more than ten years. Today, he lives with his partner, enjoys job stability, and has a present very different from his youth: "I'm alive thanks to Kuarzo. It was my last train," he confessed in an interview.
The attack suffered by Mercatante during the libertarian event was not a minor incident. The journalist confirmed that he was fine and that he would receive medical attention, but the assault once again exposed the desperation of Kirchnerism in Buenos Aires Province. President Javier Milei himself warned during his speech in Moreno: "We are facing the worst of politics, which in a state of desperation resorts to violence as the only response to the advance of freedom."
