News
Argentina president Javier Milei's car hit with rocks hurled by protesters during campaign rally
He is currently tied to a corruption scandal involving his sister, who was also riding beside him.
August 28, 2025, 12:19 PM
Argentina's President Javier Milei was rushed to safety after protesters threw small rocks, bottles, and vegetables at his convoy during a campaign event on Aug. 27.
Milei was attending a party rally in Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Reuters reported.
Buenos Aires will be holding local elections on Sep. 7, before Argentina heads to mid-term elections on Oct. 26.
The Lomas de Zamora district is traditionally a stronghold of the Peronist opposition movement, located on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Protest
During the rally, Milei was standing in the back of a car riding along the streets, waving at supporters, when some people in the crowd started throwing things in his direction.
At least one rock hit the hood of the car, and other objects were thrown over Milei's head, according to Reuters.
People were also yelling anti-government chants including, "Get out, Milei."
As the president's convoy quickly fled the scene, scuffles broke out among his supporters and protestors.
One of Milei supporters suffered from injured ribs, BBC cited AFP reporting.
A separate Milei supporter at the scene told The Guardian that "chunks of rubble started flying". One hit him on the back and nearly hit his head.
According to this supporter, a dumpster had been "placed on purpose with debris" nearby.
Scandal
Riding beside Milei in the car was his sister and chief of staff Karina Milei, who is embroiled in a bribery scandal that has dominated Argentinian media over the past few days.
Audio recordings had recently been published in which the head of Argentina's National Disability Agency, Diego Spagnuolo, can be heard discussing the alleged payment of bribes linked to the purchase of medicine for people with disabilities, The Guardian reported.
Spagnuolo also claimed that Karina Milei allegedly pocketed 3 per cent from each contract.
Just minutes before the protest began on Aug. 27, President Milei addressed the leaked recordings.
He told reporters at Lomas de Zamora that "everything [Spagnuolo] says is a lie", and his team will "bring him to justice and prove he lied", as quoted by The Guardian.
Milei's government had fired Spagnuolo the previous week "as a preventive measure", Reuters quoted the government's statement saying.
Milei has angered many Argentinians by significantly cutting funding for many public services to control inflation, including services for people with disabilities, The Guardian reported.
A protester at the scene on Aug. 27, interviewed by The Guardian, questioned how often Milei visited the provinces as president, "to see the infrastructure that is missing, the schools falling to pieces, the hospitals, and all the public works that have been halted for 18 months".
Response from Milei and his team
After the incident, Milei's spokesperson Manuel Adorni wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that there were no injuries.
He also claimed that the people who "attacked" the president's caravan were supporters of the opposition, according to BBC.
Milei also responded to the incident by posting a photo of him and his sister, joined by a congressman, giving a thumbs-up.
His caption on X said that the opposition "throws stones empty of ideas, turning once again to violence", as translated by Reuters.
Top images from Juano Tesone/Instagram and Manuel Adorni/X
