Guillermo Kane, now 42, was just 14 when he became a militant of Argentina’s Partido Obrero –a left-leaning political party and member of a larger coalition representing the interests of the working class in the regional legislature.

He was inspired by the vision of a better, more just nation, and disillusioned by decades of administrations that failed to deliver for the nation’s workers. Over the past three decades, he’s worked with multiple worker’s movements and helped organize in one of the poorest regions of Buenos Aires – La Matanza. His work there has been with the Piquetero cause, a large movement of unemployed citizens who took the streets during the country’s 2001 economic collapse.

Kane will speak at Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore at 3036 24th St. between Treat Avenue and Harrison Street at 7 p.m. on Saturday. — He is currently both a legislator at the regional parliament representing Buenos Aires and a professor of history at the University of Buenos Aires. He is also a vocal critic of new Argentinian President Javier Milei, a militant libertarian bent on curbing public spending. 

Milei has vowed to cut taxes, eliminate the country’s national bank and slash as many as half of the country’s agencies. The new leader has drawn comparisons to former U.S President Donald Trump. On multiple occasions, Milei has declared his admiration for Trump as well as Brazilian former president Jair Bolsonaro.

“He’s definitely promoting himself as the best student of U.S imperialism,” said Kane. “In Argentina, you could say our project 2025 started in 2024 with mass layoffs and wages being liquidated through inflation. He’s offered himself as the United States’ political tool in the region.”

The South American legislator is visiting San Francisco as part of Laborfest 2024, a month-long festival featuring events promoting workers’ rights. This year, organizers are celebrating the 90th anniversary of the San Francisco general strike and the West Coast maritime strike in 1934.

Kane will also promote his new book “La Crisis Del Imperio Norteamericano de Trump a Biden” (The Crisis of Trump and Biden’s American Empire) in a conversation where he will draw similarities between Milei, Trump and current President Joe Biden.  “We’re trying to discuss some of the key strategic questions for a revolutionary regroupment in the United States, and this book is an attempt to to open up a debate with militants and activists in the United States,” said Kane.

Medicine for Nightmares bookstore is located at 3036 24th Street between Treat Avenue and Harrison Street. Guillermo Kane’s talk will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.