By Peter Greste
BBCJuly 9, 2002
A coalition of protesters has called on Argentines to celebrate their traditional Independence Day holiday with a day of rage. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to protest against the government's handling of the worst economic crisis in its history, as negotiators try to seal an agreement for more economic aid from the International Monetary Fund.
For months Argentines have been filling their city streets with angry protests. Millions have lost their savings, their jobs and now their patience with the economic crisis that has driven half of the country into poverty.
IMF blamed
Now, the leaders of the unions, the unemployed, the professional associations, almost all of the ad hoc groups who have been demonstrating, have called on the public to turn Tuesday's holiday into a day of rage. Their focus is the government, and the IMF which they blame for helping bankers and political leaders bankrupt the country.
True or not, the frustration is only likely to grow with the presence of a negotiating team from the IMF, which arrived on Monday. The fund is insisting on a series of deeply unpopular structural reforms before it signs any more cheques.
But as the demonstrations become louder and angrier, the pressure builds on the fund to throw the government a lifeline. There has not been a repeat of last December's bloody protests that left dozens dead and forced out a series of governments in quick succession, but there are plenty of commentators who believe that unless there is some kind of relief soon, it will only be a matter of time.
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