Watch Argentina protesters fight police on the streets with bottles and fire

An anti-government demonstration turned violent in Argentina yesterday (28 June) as riot police clashed with masked left-wing protesters.

The protest began as a blockade of 9 de Julio Avenue, a major road in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, but then escalated into violence after the crowds refused to disband.

Police armed with shields and batons, backed up by a water cannon, eventually dispersed the protesters, some of whom threw missiles as they retreated.

The Telegraph reports that seven arrests were made while video footage shows a woman lying unconscious in a side street – it is not known what caused her to become debilitated.

The fire service were also required to extinguish piles of tyres set alight by some protesters.

Many working people and left-wing groups are angry at a programme of free trade reforms implemented by President Mauricio Macri, who came to power in December 2015

Macri inherited a problematic economy with inflation at around 30% and the central bank's reserves almost entirely depleted.

The American-educated 58-year-old has attempted to remove export tariffs on corn, wheat and soybeans as well as liberalising the energy market.