With Many Police On Strike, Looters Hit Argentina’s Stores

Chaos is visiting the Christmas season in Argentina, as police in many regions have refused to work until they get a pay raise. The lack of law enforcement has spurred looting in which at least five people have died and hundreds more have been injured. Some shop owners have taken up arms to defend themselves.

In Chaco province, the casualties include police deputy superintendent Cristin Vera, who died after being shot by looters in a supermarket, .

Photos of the looting depict stores with broken windows and metal security bars wrenched open. Some stores were forced to close ahead of the upcoming holiday.

“The violence has spread to 19 out of 23 provinces, and local news describes shocking scenes: A shop owner was killed when looters set his store on fire,” NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports. “Banks, supermarkets, retail businesses and public transportation have shut down in many cities.”…