(Reuters) – Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei caused a commotion at Argentina’s Teatro Colon on Friday evening ahead of the upcoming election on Sunday.
Milei, known for his radical libertarian views and promise to reduce government spending, attended a performance of Madame Butterfly with his girlfriend at the ornate opera house in Buenos Aires.
He was met with heckling from his opponents, but also received applause from his supporters, creating a raucous atmosphere as the acoustics of the theater amplified the passionate reactions.
This Sunday, Argentines will choose between Milei and current center-left Economy Minister Sergio Massa in a highly contested election amidst the country’s worst economic crisis in over two decades.
Some of the crowd shouted insults at Milei, calling him “garbage” and accusing him of downplaying atrocities during the country’s brutal dictatorship from 1976-1983. Milei’s running mate has also defended military officers convicted of crimes against humanity.
The insults prompted cheers in support of Milei, and the incident quickly spread across social media as a video of the confrontation went viral.
Teatro Colon’s director, Jorge Telerman, took to X, formerly Twitter, to condemn the “expressions of intolerance” directed at Milei.
Despite the controversy, Milei took to X to comment on the incident, simply saying “What a lovely work Madame Butterfly.”
(Reporting by Brendan O’Boyle, Editing by Franklin Paul)
