'They could have killed me'

"Tensions had been escalating for hours on that warm Wednesday afternoon. Normally, the weekly protests were small, but this one was larger than usual. Even rival football fans had shown up to support the retirees. As the afternoon stretched on, government forces accused the protesters of violating the security perimeter. They began using force including tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds."

"First, Navarro felt a searing sting on his leg. A rubber bullet had struck him. Then came a blast of light and a sudden burning sensation across his face that made time feel like it was standing still. Blood began running down one of his cheeks, followed by a rush of pain. He had been shot again. The tear gas in the air made it difficult to breathe."

"Hundreds of demonstrators had joined the retirees to denounce cuts to government benefits and call for an increase in pensions. Navarro was one of them. He had travelled from San Martin, on the outskirts of the capital Buenos Aires, to protest on behalf of his father, a retiree who is struggling to afford his medication. I watched on TV how the police were beating pensioners every week. I couldn't just stand by and keep watching. I had to do something, Navarro told Al Jazeera."

Protests outside Argentina's Congress drew hundreds of demonstrators and pensioners denouncing benefit cuts and demanding higher pensions. Many attendees, including rival football fans, joined weekly demonstrations. Security forces accused protesters of breaching a security perimeter and responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Demonstrators and journalists encountered heavy law enforcement presence and were pushed back by police tactics. Jonathan Navarro, a 33-year-old protester who travelled from San Martin for his retiree father, suffered rubber-bullet wounds to his leg and face, with blood and severe pain. Tear gas made breathing difficult amid deafening shouts and chaotic dispersal.

Read at www.aljazeera.com