A piquetero is a member of a group that has blocked a street with the purpose of demonstrating and calling attention over a particular issue or demand. The word is a neologism in Argentine Spanish, coming from piquete, that is, its specific meaning as a standing or walking demonstration of protest in a significant spot.

Carlos Saúl Menem was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the president of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. He led Argentina as president during the 1990s and implemented a free market liberalization. He served as President of the Justicialist Party for thirteen years, and his political approach became known as Menemism.