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09/12/2004 . By Wailin Wong . Dow Jones Newswires . Argentina

Argentina Social Activists Briefly Occupy McDonalds

BUENOS AIRES - One of Argentina's most vociferous "piquetero" social activist leaders organized a march to a downtown Buenos Aires McDonald's outlet Thursday to demand 50,000 combo meals for Christmas.

Raul Castells, who heads the Independent Movement of Pensioners and Unemployed, one of Argentina's more notable piquetero groups, had recently returned after a monthlong hunger strike while he was in prison for occupying and getting money from a casino in Chaco province. The imprisonment and hunger strike had kept him weak and bed-ridden for much of October.

Thursday's march, which included stops at a Sheraton hotel and the Ministry of Labor, was one of the largest demonstrations since Castells' recovery. Piqueteros are generally different groups of unemployed workers who stage protests to demand social welfare payments and other issues.

The march also comes amid a recent wave of union activity - a weeklong telephone employees strike ended on Monday, while teachers in Buenos Aires province and city subway workers continue to stage periodic stoppages.

Televised news footage showed Castells at the entrance of the McDonald's, screaming into a megaphone: "Fifty thousand boxes - one combo box for each colleague for Christmas! Fifty thousand McCombo boxes for our families!"

The MIJD, as Castells' group is known, has occupied McDonald's restaurants in the past. Piquetero groups also entered the headquarters of Spanish-Argentine energy giant Repsol-YPF (REP) in June, lighting fire to stacks of tires with molotov cocktails and forcing the evacuation of the building. That incident sparked a public backlash against piqueteros and President Nestor Kirchner's soft-handed approach towards the protesters.

Local wire reports said the occupied McDonald's stayed open for business during Castells' demonstration, though no customers entered. Police were present, but there were no clashes and the protesters left the restaurant to march to the Ministry of Labor.