Protestors Dressed as Gandalf Demand Peter Thiel Leave Argentina, Go Back to the Abyss
One does not simply walk into Argentina. Despite his significant influence over the Trump administration, tech billionaire and Antichrist enthusiast Peter Thiel has been putting down roots in Javier Milei’s far-right, anarcho-capitalist Argentina, apparently worried that things might go sideways in the States. At least some Argentinians would prefer he go back home, and they decided to send him a message by protesting outside of Thiel’s residence while dressed as Gandalf the Grey.
According to Argentinian newspaper Clarín, the demonstration took place on Monday and featured a dozen or so people draped in long cloaks, wizard hats, and faux beards who made their way to Thiel’s neighborhood with signs bearing slogans like “You shall not pass, you son of a bitch.” Per Clarín, the group also jumped up and down while chanting, “Whoever doesn’t jump owns Palantir and won’t be able to live in Argentina.”
The group’s inclination that Thiel take a hike comes as the billionaire continues to dig his claws into Argentina. Per the New York Times, the scariest member of the PayPal mafia has already met with Milei and his ministers, who were apparently thrilled to have him. Milei described their meeting as “wonderful,” according to the Buenos Aires Times.
Milei also revealed the likely real reason that Thiel asked to meet, which was to figure out if he can count on the anarcho-capitalist utopia to continue should Milei leave office. (Note that the utopia has seen labor laws rolled back to 19th-century standards and has seen a wage collapse so bad that now eight in 10 Argentinian households earn less than the national average.) “I told him that the culture war is what guarantees the long-term outcome,” the president told the publication.
Una banda de Gandalfs esta tarde en la puerta de la casa de Peter Thiel en Palermo Chico. 😁 pic.twitter.com/g1Yy8PZLb8
That was apparently music to Thiel’s ears, as the founder of Palantir purchased a mansion and is reportedly considering making Argentina his first choice of escape hatches from America. On Saturday, Reuters reported that Thiel recently bought a 1 percent stake in Argentinian oil firm Vaca Muerta.
It’s worth calling out that Thiel’s primary concern doesn’t seem to be that the United States might descend into some sort of civil war or other form of destabilizing strife—in fact, it kinda seems like that would be preferable to him than his true concern, which is that a growing sense of populism may lead to a sense of class consciousness that would cut against his own interests. The Times flags California’s proposed billionaire tax as one of his big concerns.
The Gandalfs are a reminder to Thiel that you can only tamp down those feelings for so long. Milei is still only in his first term, and while his party succeeded during the nation’s midterm elections, his approval rating is regularly hitting new lows as concerns about corruption within his administration have started to bubble up among the general public, forcing members of his cabinet to resign.
Milei will be up for reelection next year, and the result will likely dictate Thiel’s next move. If Argentinians need a motivator beyond ridding themselves of an anarcho-capitalist who clearly does not have their best interests at heart, then do it out of spite toward a billionaire who seems to view their livelihoods as expendable in pursuit of his own wealth and power.
If all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us, Thiel has spent his time building out the surveillance state, attempting to destroy democracy, and generally making life worse for the vast majority of people. Hard to blame anyone for not wanting him as a neighbor.
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