Following the tragic murder of a seven-year-old girl in the province of Buenos Aires, the extreme right-wing President, Javier Milei, has openly criticized the security management of the administration of Axel Kicillof, Governor of Buenos Aires and opponent of the Executive. Milei has even called on him to step down: “If you are interested in the welfare of the people of Buenos Aires, get out of the way (that is, resign) and let us intervene in the Province. In one year we are going to put an end to violence. Therefore, we are in charge, Governor. See if you are more interested in the welfare of the people of Buenos Aires or your political interests.”
Seven-year-old Kim Gomez died tragically on February 25, after a robbery in which two teenagers (aged 17 and 14) stole a car. After pulling the mother out of the vehicle, they attempted to throw the girl out of the window, but she was pinned to the seatbelt and dragged several blocks under the car while the thieves fled in their car and ultimately crashed into a lamp post. The crime has shocked Argentine society after the video of the crime circulated widely.
Ultra-right President Javier Milei has taken advantage of the tragic situation to attack the governor of the province and hold him responsible for the crime. He has accused Kicillof of sheltering criminals and not being capable of managing the situation in the province which he characterizes as a “bloodbath”.
However, Milei’s declarations have been met with widespread skepticism, with many accusing him of attempting to distract from his own political scandals and attack his political rivals.
Kicillof’s response
Axel Kicillof addressed the Kim Gómez case, stating that his administration acted promptly. “We accompany Kim’s family with great respect, and we join in the search for justice. From the first moment, we acted as we should have. The police’s task was to apprehend the criminals, and they did it. What we have to discuss is why they let them go free.”
Regarding Milei’s message, the Governor of Buenos Aires said, “In the province of Buenos Aires, we are willing to improve everything necessary to avoid these events, but we cannot validate their political use. I very much regret low attitude I have observed these days from some leaders who went beyond all limits with immoral, miserable, and regrettable attitudes. Not everything is worth a vote.”
Furthermore, he requested the return of the resources so that the Province of Buenos Aires could better face the security problem. “We are in charge of what corresponds to us and we ask again that the resources that were taken away from the people of Buenos Aires and that were essential to improve security be returned to them.”
Kirchner and Justicialist Party push back against Milei’s political maneuvering
For his part, the President of the Peronist Justicialist Party (PJ), Máximo Kirchner, publicly supported Kicillof and criticized the political use of Kim Gómez’s crime by Milei: “The president of the nation, Javier Milei, in a new act of institutional gravity urges the governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, to resign from his position to intervene the province. How far is the president of the delegated powers going to go on attacking the people of Buenos Aires who have democratically elected their representatives?”
Kirchner addressed Milei directly and asked him for coherence: “If you care about the lives of the people of Buenos Aires, today start working together with the province and return the more than 700 billion pesos that you took away for security. Unless you only want to take advantage of this painful moment for the families of the victims for electoral purposes.”
On the afternoon of February 28, Governor Kicillof publicly announced that he had filed a criminal complaint against Milei.
“I instructed the Government advisor to investigate with the state prosecutor of the Province the possible commission of crimes against the constitutional order and the public powers of the Province.”
Violence experts echo the Governor’s argument
Milei’s political charade has also been criticized for grossly simplifying the phenomenon of violence in the country and its diverse root causes.
Leandro Gamallo, researcher at CONICET and Coordinator of the Study Group on Violence in Latin America at the Gino Germani Research Institute (UBA), explained to Peoples Dispatch that to “eliminate violence” first one needs to understand its causes in order to develop strategies to precisely resolve it in all of its complexity.
With regard to the crime in La Plata, Gamallo says we have to see how “the lack of opportunities, especially the lack of access of youth groups to cultural programs, sports programs, to employment, to school and university education has an impact on their incorporation into situations of crime and violence.” He highlights, “it’s evident that the impoverishment processes, the cuts to these programs, the lack of opportunities, the lack of access to employment is going to impact increases in insecurity and violence, as we are surely experiencing this year.”
It may not be a coincidence that Milei’s brazen statements about the Kim Gómez tragedy come just a week after the president was implicated in an international scandal for promoting the sale of the $LIBRA currency.
“I have no doubt then that this response from the President, this provocation, has to do with being able to change the axis of public discussion following his intervention in the Libra case,” asserted Gamallo.
