The security minister of Buenos Aires province was brutally attacked on Monday by bus drivers outraged by the death of one of their colleagues who was shot dead by two passengers, a crime that threatens to escalate into a mass public transport strike in the Argentine capital. This was reported by AFP and News.ro. The image of the minister who was attacked was broadcast live on television.

The minister from Argentina was attacked by angry bus driversPhoto: Andres Pelozo/AP/Profimedia

Sergio Berni, 61, was attacked when he arrived at a bus station in La Matanza, on the western outskirts of Buenos Aires, where drivers were demonstrating against the lack of public safety. The minister himself arrived without minimal security measures, and the attack on him was broadcast live on local television.

Surrounded by journalists who asked him questions, he was insulted by demonstrators who then threw stones, one of which hit the minister in the face. He was also punched and kicked as he was briefly knocked to the ground.

In the pictures, he is shown with a bloodied face, visibly dazed. But then, continuing to answer journalists, he defiantly declared that he would not “run for office”.

Police eventually removed Sergio Berni, called for backup, and briefly took him to the hospital. At that time, clashes continued between the police and the protesters. Eight policemen and three drivers were slightly injured, according to the emergency service.

The bus drivers protested after the death of one of them, 65-year-old Daniel Barrientos, who was shot at close range by two thieves who boarded the bus to rob passengers around 4:30 a.m. local time on Monday.

“We have already arrested the attacker (…) Jobs is the only way to guarantee the safety of drivers,” was all Minister Sergio Berni, a former military doctor and member of the Peronist presidential party, managed to say before he was attacked. .

After the killing, the public transit union UTA called a strike in “the entire western area of ​​Greater Buenos Aires,” a metropolis of 14 million residents, an action that risks “expanding,” according to the union. UTA was scheduled to meet with Minister Burney and the provincial governor later on Monday.