Fresh protests to mark anniversary of Chile revolt

Fresh protests to mark anniversary of Chile revolt

Many shops closed early, or did not open at all, while many schools sent pupils home early in case of trouble in the face of protests October 18, 2022
Many shops closed early, or did not open at all, while many schools sent pupils home early in case of trouble in the face of protests October 18, 2022. Photo: Martin BERNETTI / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Hundreds of Chileans, mainly students, protested in Santiago Tuesday, erecting burning barricades to mark three years since a social uprising they say has not yet yielded the desired societal change.

Demonstrators wearing goggles and facemasks as protection against tear gas stopped car traffic on the central Alameda avenue, and several metro stations were shuttered.

Police deployed 25,000 officers to keep the peace, and used water cannon to disperse trouble-making demonstrators in at least one venue.

Chile is one of the world's most socially-unequal countries
Chile is one of the world's most socially-unequal countries. Photo: Martin BERNETTI / AFP
Source: AFP

Many shops closed early, or did not open at all, while schools sent pupils home early in a country where demonstrations in recent years have frequently been marred by clashes with the security forces.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Read also

Afghan women protest after students expelled from university dorms

"We have gained nothing" in the three years since the movement began, said Andrea Gomez, a 43-year-old social worker who was among those gathered.

The protests came exactly three years after the start of a mass revolt against a rise in metro fares in 2019 that quickly escalated into a general clamor for better conditions and social equality.

Police deployed 25,000 officers to keep the peace in Santiago, Chile
Police deployed 25,000 officers to keep the peace in Santiago, Chile. Photo: Martin BERNETTI / AFP
Source: AFP

The government suspended the price hike but protests continued, and dozens were killed over months of clashes. Hundreds of people were injured.

The demonstrations kickstarted reforms that included the government's agreement to the drafting of a new constitution to replace the one inherited from the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and perceived as market-friendly.

Last December, Chile elected a leftist president in Gabriel Boric, who supported the constitution-writing process.

But last month, nearly two-thirds of voters rejected the proposed draft despite the new revolutionary mood, amid concerns that parts of the document were too far-reaching.

Read also

Kenya disbands 'killer' police unit

Police used water cannon on the protesters in Chile
Police used water cannon on the protesters in Chile. Photo: Martin BERNETTI / AFP
Source: AFP

A constitutional provision to legalize abortion was a key stumbling block in the conservative, majority-Catholic country.

Boric, a former student leader who had supported the 2019 protests, on Tuesday called for a new social dialogue to give shape to much-needed social reform.

The 2019 uprising, he said, "was an expression of pain and fractures in our society that politics, of which we are a part, has failed to interpret or answer."

Boric came to office with promises of turning the deeply unequal country into a greener, more egalitarian "welfare state."

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.