The Minister of Security of the province of Buenos Aires, Sergio Berni, was attacked with blows, kicks and stones by a group of bus drivers enraged by the death of one of their colleagues in an assault during the early hours of this Monday.
The attack against Berni -who was accompanied by minimal custody- occurred when the secretary appeared at the place where the drivers were protesting the insecurity in the area of La Matanza, on the western outskirts of Buenos Aires.
As soon as he arrived, they shouted insults at him and threw stones at him. At one point, he fell and then they also kicked him without his companions being able to stop the aggression. The incident was broadcast live for almost half an hour on local television channels.
With a bloody face and barely protected by a cycling helmet, the minister was taken from his place by the Police who transferred him to a hospital.
The protesters were demanding the death of Daniel Barrientos, 65, who died from a shot after two assailants boarded the bus he was driving and in which a police officer was also traveling with whom they confronted.
“We have already arrested the perpetrator (of the crime). We are working on that. There are two detainees, they are doing thedermotest. Working is the only way to guarantee the safety of the drivers”, Berni had told them when they began to insult him.
The drivers carry out a protest strike on the main bus lines that travel between La Matanza and the Argentine capital on Monday.