Argentine housing violence: president blames rivals

Argentina’s president has accused her political rivals of stirring up a housing crisis among the poor of Buenos Aires that has led to at least three deaths in several days of violence.

The clashes erupted between local residents and people who have set up a tented village in a park. The squatters say they were forced out of their homes in nearby shanty-towns because they could no longer afford the rent there.

For the president Cristina Fernandez it is the biggest challenge since her husband and closest adviser Nestor Kirchner died in October.

She said: “It was his commitment, his life that brings me to confront each provocation, each one of these plans with even greater strength. We know who is behind it. This didn’t just get out of hand,” she said. “From the very first day I started to govern Argentina they put obstacles in my path.”

Around 6,000 squatters demanding public housing are now camped out at the site.

Government ministers have accused the mayor of Buenos Aires of mishandling the crisis and neglecting poor areas in the south of the city.

The troubles could prove damaging for Fernandez, who is expected to run for re-election next year.

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