Surprising Action Against the War in Buenos Aires

Saturday, March 29, 2003
(Translation from Spanish by Laura)

Today, for 2 hours, about 150 high school students from the group "No Pasaran" took over the McDonald's restaurant near the obelisk. Mixed in with the patrons, they kept the restaurant closed with posters, flags and chants against the war.

It seemed to be a quiet afternoon for McDonald's, after weeks of demonstrations. The management was content and the security guards were relaxed.

The only unusual thing was the large number of teenagers eating the cheap food without much appetite, although perhaps this isn't so unusual for a fast food chain. At 4:30, a well-fed group of youth entered walking slowly. A woman with a baby left without waiting to see what would happen and the teens who were talking and eating stopped and got up to get together and start the action. "This action is not against the consumers nor the workers of McDonald's. It is against the company which is a symbol of imperialism in our country," clarified the students, most with their faces protected from cameras with red or black bandannas. Chants against the war, large posters which changed the geography of the place, nervous employees and the unexpected solidarity of the diners marked the occasion, which went off without incident. The police arrived 20 minutes later with three assault cars and several beat cops, but there was no repression other than threats of intimidation.

At the end of the take-over, the restaurant was closed but still some people were eating, drinking coffee or simply watching the action.

Now outside the restaurant, the youth burned yankee flags and promised to repeat similar surprise actions against other locations of the "chain of the clown" and other symbolic companies which would represent their opposition to the war in Iraq.

Asked about the reson behind the action, a youth of no more that 18 years of age answered that "It is the least we can do while they are bombing the people of Iraq. We want all the world to know that the students of Argentina are against the war."

At 6:00 the students marched to the obelisk to end the successful action against the war in Iraq.

(photo by