Thousands of Argentines took to the streets of Buenos Aires Saturday in defense of hard-fought diversity advances and to denounce recent anti-"woke" pronouncements by President Javier Milei.

The colorful procession held aloft the rainbow flag and waved placards stating: "Not a step back" as it marched on the Plaza de Mayo square that houses the presidency.

The march was organized by women's and LGBTQ rights groups with the backing of powerful trade unions and opposition politicians.

It was called in response to statements made by self-declared "anarcho-capitalist" Milei to the World Economic Forum in Davos in which he slammed "the mental virus of woke ideology."

Milei had also spoken out against "radical feminism" and "gender ideology" -- a term used by social conservatives opposed to gender inclusivity.

His administration insisted Milei was the victim of "malicious interpretation," but his statements were met with indignation across Argentine society, including on the political right.

"That was a terrible thing, what the president said. It is not possible for someone in such an important position to say such things in public. I felt attacked," 18-year-old protester Alicia Gonzalez, who said she was gay, told AFP.

Ricardo Buchet, a 71-year-old pensioner, said he was marching in "solidarity."

"It is a test of empathy for the Argentine people who are subjected to the dictatorship of a tyrant," he said.

Milei, a libertarian former economist sometimes compared to Donald Trump, dissolved the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity as well as the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism in his first year in office.

Similar demonstrations were held in other cities of Argentina, one of nine Latin American countries to allow same-sex marriage.