Argentina Milei honored in Hamburg - no riotous speech

Argentina's ultra-liberal President Javier Milei was honored with a medal from the Friedrich August v. Hayek Society in Hamburg on Saturday. Milei, who is known for his spontaneous and polemical statements, avoided any reference to Germany in his speech and primarily described his understanding of politics. The audience of around 200 - including former President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Hans-Georg Maassen and AfD member of parliament Beatrix von Storch - cheered Milei on. They repeatedly shouted "Libertad" (freedom) in chants.

On Sunday, the Argentinian president, who describes himself as an "anarcho-capitalist", will be received by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Berlin Chancellery.

Several hundred people demonstrated outside the venue under the slogan "No to Milei in Hamburg". Critics accuse the Hayek Society of not clearly distinguishing itself from right-wing populist movements. For example, the association awarded its network prize to the Swiss web radio station Kontrafunk in 2023 and to the blog "Achse des Guten" in 2022 - both media are considered to be part of the political right-wing spectrum.

With the award, the economists' association honored the program of the ultra-liberal politician who wants to reform Argentina in the spirit of Hayek, the Austrian mastermind of neoliberalism. "You are taking capitalism off the defensive," said Stefan Kooths, chairman of the association, in his laudatory speech. He compared Milei's policies to chemotherapy. "The side effects are severe," said the economist from Kiel. But without such therapy, Argentina would be finished.

In his speech, Milei described his intellectual career as a follower of the so-called Austrian School, which includes Hayek (1899-1992) and Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973). He explained his rise to become a successful politician with his courage in being the only person to have represented liberal economic ideas in the media and on television talk shows. Milei was elected in the second round of voting last November with more than 55% of the vote.