Argentina’s El Loco visits Germany, gets a lesson from the socialist Chancellor

Javier Milei, Argentina’s President for the last 6 1/2 months and who has spent his time in office trying hard to wreck Argentina’s economy with his hyper-libertarian “anarcho-capitalist” economic dogma, paid a visit this week to German’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Scholz actually sounded like a Social Democratic leader, advising his guest not to be such a rightwing crackpot:

Although the government of Javier Milei made an effort to talk about a visit "key to enhancing Argentina's new growth cycle", his visit to Germany this Saturday and Sunday was surrounded by tension. Not only because of the protests that greeted him in Hamburg and Berlin, but also because at the end of his meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the German administration issued a statement saying that "in its opinion, social compatibility and the protection of social cohesion should be important points of reference" for the reforms that the libertarian [Milei] is carrying out. Knowing that the German press was going to question him on different issues, the president suspended the press conference that was scheduled and, despite requests from several local media to interview him, did not grant any requests. (1)

Scholz himself is currently providing a textbook example of how foolish it is for centrist parties, especially left-center ones, to pander to the far right. Scholz has recently been doing that on the favorite ethnonationalist hot-button issue of the European far right, immigration and refugees.

Scholz himself is currently providing a textbook example of how foolish it is for centrist parties, especially left-center ones, to pander to the far right. Scholz has recently been doing that on the favorite ethnonationalist hot-button issue of the European far right, immigration and refugees.

But after the recent gains far-right authoritarian parties made in the recent EU Parliament elections, and the fact that Milei had been public about his support of the far-right parties, including Spain’s Vox and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (NR), Scholz took the opportunity to poke at Milei’s own reactionary politics:

The meeting was the first that Milei has held with a social-democratic European leader, six and a half months after his inauguration. It comes after he said on Saturday in Hamburg that the Socialists are "violent" [against] the reforms he is carrying out. Although there are great differences between the [Argentine] socialism that Milei reviles and German social democracy, his statements resonate strongly in a country [Germany] where the far right is on the rise. As in Spain, democratic parties see in figures like him the specter of extremist ideas disguised as freedom. (2)

FRANCE 24 reported on Milei’s visit with Europe’s far riightists:

Sarah Morris, FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Madrid, said Le Pen received big cheers when she took to the stage.

“Marine Le Pen said she had come to Spain to back Vox in its European elections,” she said, and that “the European Union needed to change course and that these far-right, nationalistic parties were coming together to ensure that that happens".

Milei then earned a standing ovation with a speech in which he excoriated “lefties” and defended free market capitalism. He also thanked Vox leader Santiago Abascal for his early friendship, “when I was lonelier than Adam on Mother’s Day”.

Morris said he received the biggest cheers when he accused Sanchez’s wife of corruption. …

Milei’s comments about the prime minister’s wife prompted Spain to announce later on Sunday that it was recalling its ambassador to Argentina.

“It is unacceptable that a sitting president visiting Spain should insult Spain and the Spanish prime minister, a fact that breaks with all diplomatic customs and the most elementary rules of coexistence between countries,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said. [my emphasis] (3)

FRANCE 24 also provides a video report on the pro-Vox rally: (4)

As weird as it is, given their ethnonationalist politics, there really is something like an Authoritarian International. As we will see in Washington next month when far-right Israeli Prime Minister appears before Congress to deliver what will actually be a campaign speech for Donald Trump.

Notes:

1) Sabatés, Paula (2024): Lo que dejó el paso de Milei por Alemania con una alfombra roja rodeada de tensión. Página/12 24.06.2024. <https://www.pagina12.com.ar/746709-lo-que-dejo-el-paso-de-milei-por-alemania-con-una-alfombra-r> (Accessed: 2024-24-06). My translation from Spanish.

(2) Ibid.

(3) Morris, Sarah (2024): Spain’s far-right Vox holds mass rally with Argentina’s Milei, France’s Le Pen. FRANCE 24 05/19/2024. <https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240519-spain-s-far-right-vox-holds-mass-rally-with-argentina-s-milei-france-s-le-pen> (Accessed: 2024-24-06).

(4) Spain's far right Vox party hosts rally with Argentina's Milei, France's Le Pen. FRANCE 24 YouTube channel 05/19/2024. <https://youtu.be/9qg5tZjoMEU?si=yhfKeGZd_6KE4qR8> (Accessed: 2024-24-06).