Violent eviction of Senegalese street sellers amid COVID-19 in Argentina

Police in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, violently evicted a few Senegalese vendors in the city of La Plata on Tuesday (July 28).

The police were insulting, screaming, and pushing the vendors.

According to witnesses, the incident began during a massive operation.

Officers and agents of Urban Control from the municipality of La Plata confiscated merchandise from a vendor located at the corner of 8 and 50.

Soon, several vendors struggled with the agents and at least one Senegalese worker suffered a cut on his hand, according to the newspaper Hoy.

The police seized glasses, headphones, USB cables, and wristbands, among other merchandise.

The sellers were charged with illegal sales.

Due to COVID-19, vendors haven't work for four months.

"If we go out, we have a lot of problems on the street," said one of the vendors.

At the end of June, the Migrant Coordinator and Counseling for Migrants (CM / CM), an NGO that advises migrants in La Plata, expressed its concern about the situation that Senegalese street vendors are going through in the context of the health emergency by COVID-19 since the vast majority was left out of state aid.

"The State must echo the needs of migrant groups who are in a vulnerable situation," they indicated when launching a campaign "If we are not killed by the coronavirus, we are killed by hunger." According to the CM / CM, there are currently more than 200 Senegalese citizens living in the city of La Plata.