The Kirchnerist bloc in the Senate has once again found itself at the center of controversy following the release of a letter requesting that security force personnel not use the Congress bathrooms during protest operations. The letter, dated July 16 and addressed to Vice President Victoria Villarruel, was signed by eight Unión por la Patria senators and prompted an immediate reaction from the Government.
The request, unusual in its content, states that police officers and gendarmes participating in security operations around Congress may only make "strictly necessary" use of Senate facilities, including restrooms, giving priority to legislative employees.
The signatories include Oscar Parrilli, Silvia Sapag, Antonio Rodas, Cristina López, Carlos Linares, Sergio Leavy, María Eugenia Duré, and Gerardo Montenegro, all aligned with the most hardline wing of Kirchnerism.
The response from the ruling party
Kirchnerist senators requested that police officers not use the Senate's restrooms | La Derecha Diario
The Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, replied with a harsh post on social media. "Unusual but real. Kirchnerism asked that Security Forces not use the Senate bathrooms. We already knew they didn't want them... but they won't even let them use the bathroom. A little respect and common sense. They're the ones who protect us every day", she wrote on her X account.
The letter states that the presence of personnel from the Federal Police, Naval Prefecture, National Gendarmerie, and Airport Security Police intensifies especially on protest days, and that it is the Executive's responsibility to guarantee them basic conditions outside the legislative sphere.
"From the Honorable Senate, the attendance of personnel from the different forces and their use of the Senate's common areas and restrooms must be harmonized," the text states. It adds that it is necessary to avoid inconveniences that disrupt the work of parliamentary staff.
Context of the conflict between Kirchnerists and Bullrich
Kirchnerist senators requested that police officers not use the Senate bathrooms | La Derecha Diario
The Kirchnerist request arises amid the deployment of the anti-picket protocol implemented by the Ministry of Security, which has caused opposition among left-wing sectors and the most radicalized Peronism. In particular, every Wednesday protests are organized by social groups that are contained by a strong police presence.
Kirchnerism has been openly supporting these demonstrations and targeting Bullrich's administration, whom they accuse of pursuing a policy of "repression of social protest." The minister, meanwhile, has reinforced her role as guarantor of public order, which has earned her growing support within La Libertad Avanza. Her name is being mentioned as a possible candidate for the Senate for the City of Buenos Aires in the upcoming legislative elections.
La Derecha Diario 
