Monteoliva confirmed that Milei's administration will file a terrorism complaint against those responsible for the disturbances during the debate on labor reform
The Security Minister, Alejandra Monteoliva, confirmed that Javier Milei's administration will file a complaint for terrorism against those responsible for the attacks on Congress during the debate on labor reform. The Executive Branch keeps that it was an organized action to destabilize the institutional order.
Complaint for terrorism: the Government hardens its response
Monteoliva was blunt in describing the incidents: people with gasoline cans, Molotov cocktails, bolts to launch with slingshots, and sticks adapted as weapons. "That is extreme violence with the intention of destabilizing," she stated. According to the minister, it was not a traditional protest but a coordinated attack against the democratic order.
The filing will be made in federal court, invoking the Anti-Terrorism Law (No. 26.734), which increases penalties when crimes seek to sow terror or force decisions by public authorities. The classification implies a substantial change compared with lesser criminal charges such as property damage or resistance to authority.
El Gobierno denunciará por terrorismo a los responsables de la violencia en el Congreso
"A Molotov cocktail is a bomb. It is a weapon with the intention of generating chaos", the official maintained in radio statements.
Defense of the operation and support for the security forces
The minister defended the actions of the police and asserted that protocols were applied to prevent a greater escalation.
She explained that the priority was to disperse the pockets of violence with water and gas before intervening with arrest brigades, since advancing in that context could put the officers' lives at risk.
El Gobierno denunciará por terrorismo a los responsables de la violencia en el Congreso
"There was no way to detain them at that moment when they were throwing Molotov cocktails," she pointed out.
She also replied to questions about the guarding of the fences, emphasizing that each structure weighs approximately one hundred kilos (220.46 pounds) and that securing them is key to preventing a dangerous domino effect.
From the ruling party, officials emphasize that the objective was to guarantee the functioning of Congressand to protect the citizenry from groups that, they maintain, tried to sabotage the legislative debate.
Identification of those responsible and use of technology
Monteoliva confirmed that there are already more than seventeen people identified and more than seventy detained after the incidents. The investigation involves the intervention of the corresponding prosecutor's office and the analysis of audiovisual material from:
Federal cameras
City cameras
Records from media outlets
El Gobierno denunciará por terrorismo a los responsables de la violencia en el Congreso
The systems used include the Luna System for facial recognition and other biometric analysis tools.
According to the minister, the profiles identified include people of different ages and jurisdictions, with some cases that show criminal records and possible links to barras bravas or radicalized groups.
Rejection of left-wing conspiracy theories
El Gobierno denunciará por terrorismo a los responsables de la violencia en el Congreso
The official denied versions that circulated on social networks about alleged police infiltrators among the violent demonstrators.
"It is nonsense to think that the Government would generate that kind of situation", she stated, and she stressed that all official actions are under judicial review and documented.
Public order and reform agenda
Monteoliva reported that the outcome was seven injured officers and civilians with minor injuries, with no serious victims. Nevertheless, she questioned how quickly the Judiciary sometimes releases detainees in this type of incident.
She also supported the lower house's approval of the bill to reduce the age of criminal responsibility, considering it a step toward strengthening the State's response to serious crimes.
From Casa Rosada, officials insist that the priority is clear: to guarantee order, to protect institutions, and to prevent violent groups from conditioning the democratic debate. The complaint for terrorism marks, in that sense, a hardening of the criminal approach to episodes that the ruling party considers attempts at destabilization.
