Riots spark chaos in Argentina From AFP December 31, 2001 ARGENTINE President Adolfo Rodriguez Saa's week-old cabinet offered its collective resignation yesterday following renewed unrest over economic policies and unpopular government officials. There was no word on whether Mr Rodriguez Saa had accepted the resignations. Austerity measures led to riots that toppled the previous president, Fernando de la Rua, and threaten Mr Rodriguez Saa now the street protests have resumed. However, Mr Rodriguez Saa received an encouraging telephone call from US President George W. Bush, who urged him to stick with a strict plan approved by the International Monetary Fund. Mr Bush "emphasised the need for the Argentine Government to develop a sustainable economic plan and work closely with international financial institutions to do so", White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters at Mr Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. In Buenos Aires, thousands of people took to the streets overnight demanding the release of their money, which has been frozen in bank accounts. The protests turned violent when a group of young demonstrators tried to storm the presidential palace and clashed with riot police, who used tear gas and water hoses to break up the crowd. Another crowd stormed the Congress building, torching curtains and wrecking furniture before they were ousted by police. Twelve officers were injured, six seriously, and 33 people were arrested. Mr Rodriguez Saa asked the country's banks to help re-establish peace by facilitating the payment of pensions and salaries to workers and retirees. He said that in a meeting with business community leaders he had asked banks to remain open from 8am to 8pm today to cash cheques of up to 1000 pesos ($A1900) per person. In one of the overnight clashes, a retired police officer guarding a service station shot and killed three youths after a heated argument, according to local media reports yesterday. The shooting sparked violent protests, and security officials used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Lawyer Diego Fumagalli criticised political leaders for missing the point. "They didn't understand the people's message," he said. "The message was that we want a new political system without corruption, and then they go and name all these corrupt politicians to the new government." Since taking office for a three-month interim term, Mr Saa has suspended payments on the country's $261 billion foreign debt, and announced the creation of 1 million temporary jobs as part of an emergency program aimed at helping the 2.5 million unemployed. Subject: Intenational Anarchy.FAQ you. FROM... http://www.infoshop.org/faq/index.html The FAQ is now mirrored at the following sites (which we know of): Original site: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1931/ General sites: http://flag.blackened.net/intanark/faq/ http://www.diy-punk.org/anarchy/ http://www.infoshop.org/faq/index.html http://www.anarchism.ca/faq/ http://www.illuminati.ch/anarchy http://tofuwurst.staticky.com/anarchy/ http://chat.carleton.ca/~sgoodhew/anarchy/mirrors/anarchist_faq/index.html http://www.secret-paradise.com/anarcho/ http://www.throneworld.com/dgarrison/index.html http://www.geocities.com/hope_liberty_association/faq/index.html http://www.xs4all.be/~erbu/anarchy/index.html http://www.almostnotcrazy.org/b/anarchist_faq/index.html http://www.radio4all.org/afaq/ http://www.anarchy.be/faq/index.html http://www.vamosamontarla.com/ For Australian readers, try this site. For European readers, try here or here For North American readers, try here. For the version at Spunk Press, click here. Non-English versions of the FAQ In Hebrew: http://www.shalif.com/anarchy/faqdama.html http://www.geocities.com/~drilanshalif/faqdama.html http://members.tripod.com/~alternativ_psy/faqdama.html In Portuguese: http://www.geocities.com/projetoperiferia2/indice.htm In Japanese: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/anarchy/anarchy/faq/faqbase.html Can you dig it.CAN YOU DIG IT!