Thousands rally against Argentina’s controversial private property bill

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Argentina’s Senate on Thursday to oppose a controversial private property bill backed by President Javier Milei’s government, with demonstrations ending in violent clashes between protesters and police.

As the protest concluded, demonstrators hurled stones and other objects at security personnel near Congress Square, prompting police to respond with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons amid stormy weather.

The protest, organised by left-wing groups and labour unions, continued despite the government withdrawing one of the bill’s most contentious provisions that would have made it easier for foreigners and foreign entities to purchase land in Argentina.

Carrying Argentine flags and banners reading, “The homeland is not for sale,” protesters accused the government of weakening national control over strategic assets.

The proposed Inviolability of Private Property bill seeks to reform property ownership laws by simplifying eviction procedures, changing rural land-use regulations and making it more difficult for the state to expropriate private property. Milei’s administration says the legislation is designed to improve legal certainty and attract domestic and foreign investment.

Opposition parties and environmental groups have strongly criticised the proposal, warning it could pave the way for greater foreign control over land and lead to what they describe as the “colonisation, fragmentation and balkanisation” of Argentina.

Facing resistance in the Senate, where Milei’s party holds only 20 of 72 seats, the government dropped the provision that would have raised the cap on foreign ownership of land from 15% to 25%.

According to a 2025 report by the University of Buenos Aires and other researchers, nearly 5% of Argentina’s territory—an area roughly the size of England—is already owned by foreign entities. The study also found that foreign ownership exceeds the current legal limit in several districts rich in water, mineral resources and strategically important infrastructure such as ports.