Axel Kicillof criticized the government for intervening in the protest in defense of the INT: "Is this the freedom they talk so much about?"

A group of artists and actors held a symbolic embrace at the entrance of the National Theater Institute ( INT ), which ended in repression and conflict with the police. Apparently, Patricia Bullrich's forces intervened violently, and the governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof , used this case to target Javier Milei and his government .

The provincial leader, through his X account, lashed out at the national authorities: "Is this the freedom they talk so much about? Repressing a peaceful protest by workers in defense of national culture, production, and labor? I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm no longer surprised by a national government that makes attacking those who oppose its austerity model its modus operandi."

"Our complete solidarity with @inteatro_ar and its workers. In the province of Buenos Aires, we will always stand by national culture and industry," Axel Kicillof concluded, condemning the police's actions and defending the artists who were protesting the politically motivated dismantling of the cultural center.

The Argentine Actors and Actresses Association issued a statement after the demonstration supporting the protest and criticizing the government's response. "The embrace represented a collective gesture of resistance and visibility in the face of the national government's attempt to defund and dismantle the INT," the artists stated, calling the police presence "unnecessary."

In its message, the organization also emphasized that the INT is a "fundamental organization for the development of independent theater in all its forms" and that its dismantling would imply a "direct blow to federal cultural production, artistic sovereignty, and the right of communities to create, see, and inhabit theater ."