Argentina: thousands protest in Mendoza wine region over axed water protections

Law kept mining projects out of Argentina province - now water for wine-growers will be threatened in drought-stricken area

Argentina's wine-growing province of Mendoza, renown for its inky red malbec varietal, has erupted in protest against the surprise overturning of a 2007 water protection law that had successfully kept water-intensive mining projects out of the province.

Thousands of people joined demonstrations on Monday outside the office of the provincial governor, Rodolfo Suirez, in the capital city, also called Mendoza, after he overturned the law, known as 7722, late last week.

The peaceful protest turned violent on Monday afternoon, as police fired rubber bullets and teargas into the crowd in response to stone-throwing by angry demonstrators.