After a tense day in which thousands took to the streets to defend her and two were arrested in clashes that injured seven police officers, Fernandez de Kirchner gave a short evening speech on a makeshift stage in front of her home. “In a democracy, the right to freedom of expression is fundamental,” he said. “I want to thank you and ask you to go get some rest. It’s been a long day.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Prosecutors charged Fernandez de Kirchner on Monday with defrauding the state and participating in a scheme to divert public funds when he was president between 2007 and 2015. Read more The largest demonstration by her supporters took place outside the vice president’s home in Buenos Aires’ posh Recoleta district, where in the early hours of the morning police had erected fences in an attempt to prevent a large gathering. Supporters gathered outside the home of Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner confront police, days after Fernandez was indicted in a corruption case, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 27, 2022. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian read more In the afternoon, protesters, who claim that Fernandez de Kirchner is a victim of prosecution and that the fences were erected by the opposition mayor of Buenos Aires as a provocation, tore down barriers and clashed with police. Water tankers tried to disperse the crowds with water. “Today I woke up with the corner of my house literally under siege,” Fernandez de Kirchner said in a tweet. “They want to ban perfectly peaceful and joyous demonstrations of love and support that take place in the face of already unquestionable prosecution by the judiciary.” In a show of support, President Alberto Fernandez later took to Twitter to criticize “the institutional violence unleashed by the city government.” Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta justified the installation of fences and the actions of the police, telling a press conference that “the demonstration turned into a situation of violence.” Fernandez de Kirchner leads the most hardline wing of the center-left Peronist coalition that has ruled Argentina since late 2019. The verdict and any potential sentence will be decided by a judge, which could take months, although Fernandez de Kirchner could appeal any decision, potentially delaying a final verdict for years. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reported by Lucila Sigal? Edited by William Mallard Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
