2019–2022 Chilean Protests
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A series of massive demonstrations and severe riots, known in
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
as the ''Estallido Social'' (lit. ''social outburst''), originated in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
and took place in all regions of Chile, with a greater impact in the regional capitals. The protests mainly occurred between October 2019 and March 2020, in response to a raise in the
Santiago Metro The Santiago Metro () is a rapid transit system serving the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It currently consists of seven lines (numbered 1-6 and 4A), 143 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by the state-owned Metro S. ...
's subway fare, a probity crisis,
cost of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...
, university graduate unemployment,
privatisation Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
, and
inequality Inequality may refer to: * Inequality (mathematics), a relation between two quantities when they are different. * Economic inequality, difference in economic well-being between population groups ** Income inequality, an unequal distribution of i ...
prevalent in the country. The protests began in Chile's capital,
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
, as a coordinated
fare evasion Fare evasion or fare dodging is the act of travel without payment on public transit. When considered problematic, it is mitigated by revenue protection officers and ticket barriers, staffed or automatic, are in place to ensure only those with va ...
campaign by
secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
students which led to spontaneous takeovers of the city's main train stations and open confrontations with the ''
Carabineros de Chile The () are the Chilean national law enforcement gendarmerie, who have jurisdiction over the entire national territory of the Republic of Chile. Created in 1927, their mission is to maintain order and enforce the laws of Chile. They reported to ...
'' (the national police force). On 18 October, the situation escalated as a group of people began vandalizing Santiago's infrastructure; seizing, vandalizing, and burning down many stations of the
Santiago Metro The Santiago Metro () is a rapid transit system serving the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It currently consists of seven lines (numbered 1-6 and 4A), 143 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by the state-owned Metro S. ...
network and disabling them with extensive infrastructure damage; and for a time causing the closure of the network in its entirety. Eighty-one stations sustained major damage, including seventeen burned down. On the same day,
President of Chile The president of Chile (), officially the president of the Republic of Chile (), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both Government of Chile, government administration and s ...
Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (; 1 December 1949 – 6 February 2024) was a Chilean businessman and politician who served as President of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic Party (C ...
announced a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
, authorizing the deployment of
Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...
forces across the main regions to enforce order and prevent the destruction of public property, and invoked before the courts the ''Ley de Seguridad del Estado'' ("State Security Law") against dozens of detainees. A
curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...
was declared on 19 October in the Greater Santiago area. In the following days, protests and riots expanded to other Chilean cities, including Concepción,
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, and
Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...
. Widespread looting occurred at shops and businesses. The state of emergency was extended to the Concepción Province, all of
Valparaíso Region The Valparaíso Region (, ) is one of Chile's 16 Regions of Chile, first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's second-highest population of 1,790,219 , and fourth-smallest area of , the region is Chile's sec ...
(except
Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...
and
Juan Fernández Archipelago ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...
), and the cities of
Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
,
Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...
,
Iquique Iquique () is a port List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the At ...
, La Serena,
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
,
Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and ...
, Osorno, and
Puerto Montt Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune ...
. The protests have been considered the "worst civil unrest" having occurred in Chile since the end of
Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...
's
military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...
due to the scale of damage to public infrastructure, the number of protesters, and the measures taken by the government. On 25 October 2019, over 1.2 million people took to the streets of Santiago to protest against social inequality in what was called " the biggest march of Chile." As of 28 December 2019, 29 people had died, nearly 2,500 had been injured, and 2,840 had been arrested. Human rights organizations have received several reports of violations conducted against protesters by security forces, including eye mutilation, torture, sexual abuse, and sexual assault. On 28 October 2019, President Piñera changed eight ministries of his cabinet in response to the unrest, dismissing his Interior Minister
Andrés Chadwick Andrés Pío Bernardino Chadwick Piñera (born 2 January 1956) is a Chilean right-wing politician and lawyer, member of the Independent Democrat Union (UDI) party. He began his political career as a supporter of the Pinochet dictatorship, and wa ...
. On 15 November 2019, Chile's National Congress signed an agreement to hold a
national referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or advis ...
that would rewrite the constitution if it were to be approved. On 25 October 2020, Chileans voted 78.28 percent in favor of a new constitution, while 21.72 per cent rejected the change. Voter turnout was 51 percent. On 16 May 2021, a vote was held resulting in the election of the 155 Chileans who formed the convention which drafted the new constitution. On November 18, Chilean security services discontinued an investigation as to the presumed involvement of
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
n and
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
n agents in the protests, having found no conclusive evidence. The scale of the protests was ultimately diminished with the emergence of COVID-19, which prompted the implementation of social distancing measures and government-imposed lockdowns. An estimated 3.5 billion dollars and 300,000 jobs were lost due to the destruction and damage to public and private infrastructure, including the Santiago Metro, as a result of the protests and vandalism carried out mainly between October and November 2019. During the second half of 2020 and most of 2021, the demonstrations continued almost exclusively around
Plaza Baquedano Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile. The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving th ...
, where every Friday between 100 and 500 people confronted the police and vandalized the surroundings, demanding the liberation of the so-called " Prisoners of the Revolt". This conduct was labeled by the government as "acts of crime that do not respond to a demonstration or social demand." On 19 December 2021, former student leader and constitutional agreement negotiator, 35-year old leftist
Gabriel Boric Gabriel Boric Font (; born 11 February 1986) is a Chilean politician and the President of Chile since 2022. He previously served two four-year terms as a deputy in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies. Boric first gained prom ...
, was elected president of Chile in the
2021 Chilean presidential election General elections were held in Chile on 21 November 2021, including presidential, parliamentary and regional elections. Voters went to the polls to elect a president to serve a four-year term, 27 of 50 members of the Senate to serve an eight-ye ...
with 55.86% of the vote. Under his government, on 4 September 2022, the
2022 Chilean national plebiscite A constitutional referendum was held in Chile on 4 September 2022, in order to determine whether the public agreed with the text of a new Political Constitution of the Republic drawn up by the Constitutional Convention. It was commonly referre ...
was held in order to determine whether the public agreed with the text of a new Political Constitution of the Republic drawn up by the Constitutional Convention. The proposed constitution was rejected by a margin of 62% to 38%, leaving the constitutional process open, and effectively putting an end to the so-called "''octubrismo''" (octoberism).


Core issues


Transport fares

The price of public transport in Greater Santiago is determined by the Panel of Public Transport Experts (), which uses an automatic calculation formula to adjust fares on a monthly basis. The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications is advised by the panel and must be notified of any price changes. On 1 October 2019, the Panel determined the quarterly adjustment of fares for the public transport system of the Province of Santiago and the communes of San Bernardo and
Puente Alto Puente Alto (Spanish: "Tall Bridge") is a city and commune of Chile. It is the capital of the Cordillera Province in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, and is located in the south-east corner of the Greater Santiago conurbation. Puente Alto has ...
. They decided that a fare hike of 10
Chilean peso The peso is the currency of Chile. The current peso has circulated since 1975, with a Chilean peso (1817–1960), previous version circulating between 1817 and 1960. Its symbol is defined as a letter S with either one or two vertical bars super ...
s for buses and 30 pesos for the
Santiago Metro The Santiago Metro () is a rapid transit system serving the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It currently consists of seven lines (numbered 1-6 and 4A), 143 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by the state-owned Metro S. ...
and
Metrotrén The Metrotrén (Spanish compound for ''metro'', ' subway' + ''tren'', 'train') was a Chilean commuter rail and regional rail service operated by the state-owned rail company EFE. The system started as a line between Santiago and San Fernando, ...
at peak hours (a rise of about 4%), as well as a fare decrease of 30 pesos at off-peak hours, was necessary. The increase was justified by the panel due to increase of the rate index, which is subject to variations in the value of fuel, the value of the
US dollar The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
, the value of the
euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
, the cost of labor, and the
consumer price index A consumer price index (CPI) is a statistical estimate of the level of prices of goods and services bought for consumption purposes by households. It is calculated as the weighted average price of a market basket of Goods, consumer goods and ...
among other variables, such that the costs to the subway have risen. The fare change was scheduled to take effect from 6 October. Some specialists, such as former Minister Paola Tapia, have indicated that there are other factors that explain the rise. Among these factors would be the purchase without tender of a new fleet of electric buses for the Metropolitan Mobility Network and the suspension of the new tender for bus services, both decisions made by the administration of Minister
Gloria Hutt Gloria de los Ángeles Hutt Hesse (born 31 January 1955) is a Chilean politician and journalist and a member of Political Evolution (Evópoli/EVOP), a conservative-liberal and centre-right party. In October 2022 Hutt was elected president of ...
. In addition, there is criticism that rail transit fares in Santiago are the second highest in
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
(only surpassed by
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
). In relative terms, the average monthly cost per person for the city's public transport is equivalent to 13.8% of the minimum wage, well above other cities such as Buenos Aires, Mexico City or Lima, where it does not exceed 10%.


Inequality and cost of living

According to Jose Miguel Ahumada, a political economist and associate professor at the
University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.
, the country is "one of the most unequal countries in Latin America". As described by ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', while the last three decades of
neoliberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...
policies made Chile "one of South America's wealthiest countries, with inflation under control and easy access to credit", they also "created stark economic disparities and strapped many Chileans into debt". The
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC, ECLAC or ''CEPAL'', in Spanish: ''Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe'') is a United Nations regional commission to encourage economic cooper ...
(ECLAC) states, that 1% of the population in Chile controls 26.5% of the country's wealth, while 50% of low-income households access 2.1%. Additionally, according to the National Statistics Institute of Chile, while the
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
in Chile is 301,000 pesos, half of the workers in that country receive a salary equal to or less than 400,000 pesos. Protesters interviewed by
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
said they were struggling to make ends meet because of the high costs of part-
privatised Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation wh ...
education and health systems, rents and utilities, and a privatised pension system has been widely rejected by Chileans because of its low and often delayed payouts.


October 2019 protests

The protests against the rise in public transportation costs in Santiago, Chile, were marked by a series of mass fare evasions initiated by students from prominent high schools in downtown Santiago, including Liceo n.º 1 Javiera Carrera, Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera, and Internado Nacional Barros Arana.Under the slogan ''¡Evade!'' ("evade"), the fare-dodging campaign continued and grew over the remainder of that week and into the next. Regarding the fees
Minister of Economy A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...
Juan Andrés Fontaine Juan Andrés Fontaine Talavera is an economist who was Chilean Minister for the Economy, Development, and Reconstruction under President Sebastián Piñera. Biography Juan Andrés Fontaine Talavera was born in Santiago, Chile. He is the son of ...
commented on October 8 that "those who get up early can be helped with a lower rate" causing outrage in the public opinion. The first of these acts of fare evasion took place at the Universidad de Chile metro station on Monday, 7 October, and continued daily at various nearby stations, leading to a significant response from the Metro authorities. The Santiago Metro implemented controlled access at several stations in coordination with the 60th police station of Carabineros de Chile, situated within the Baquedano metro station, and filed a complaint with the North Central Prosecutor's Office in an effort to contain the protests. In the second week of protests, the acts of fare evasion by school students were recorded at various stations of the metro network, spreading rapidly on social media and leading to an increase in stations with controlled access. By Tuesday, 15 October, the metro lines 1, 3, and 5 faced interruptions in their service due to the high number of protesters. The National Intelligence Agency had issued a warning on 8 October, suggesting an increase in security measures as actions beyond fare evasion were anticipated between 8 and 11 October, hinting at political support for these actions. As the days passed, the demonstrations continued to grow, involving not only students but other groups as well. On the morning of Wednesday, 16 October, serious incidents occurred inside and outside the Santa Ana station between protesters and special forces of the Carabineros. The situation deteriorated further in the afternoon, with a notable incident where hundreds of passengers knocked down the access gate to the Plaza de Armas station, which was closed to prevent fare evasions. Despite the growing acceptance of the protests, they were minimized and criminalized by government authorities and other experts, including the former president of the Metro, Clemente Pérez, who dismissed the protests as "senseless" and "rather foolish". The protests escalated further on Thursday, 17 October, with more violent clashes occurring at metro stations. The closure of certain stations was compounded by a water main break on Avenida Providencia, worsening transportation issues during peak hours. The San Joaquín station saw the destruction of fare validators for the
Tarjeta bip! Tarjeta bip! ("bip! card") is the contactless payment method used in the public transportation system of Red Metropolitana de Movilidad in the metropolitan region of Santiago, Chile. It is issued and maintained by Metro de Santiago. The name is pr ...
, while stations like San Miguel, Chile España, and Estación Central were closed with no train stops. The Metro estimated the damage at approximately 500 million pesos, around 700,000 US dollars. On Friday, 18 October, the situation escalated as protests unfolded in downtown Santiago. Barricades were built, to which the police responded with water cannons and tear gas. The entire Metro system was closed after attacks were reported at nearly all its 164 stations, forcing many passengers to walk home. The headquarters of electricity company
Enel Generación Chile Enel Generación Chile S.A., formerly known as Endesa Chile and Empresa Nacional de Electricidad, is the largest electric utility company in Chile. It was created as a subsidiary of the state-owned CORFO on 1 December 1943 and was privatized in ...
was damaged in a fire which affected its emergency exit stairwell. multiple subway stations were burned in Santiago as well as infrastructure throughout the country, severely damaging businesses and public infrastructure. During the late hours of the day, a photograph circulated on social media showing the President away from
La Moneda Palace Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the president of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency, and General S ...
, attending the birthday of one of his grandchildren. The celebration took place at a restaurant named Romaría, an expensive
pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...
parlour in the northern district of
Vitacura Vitacura is a communes of Chile, commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Chile, Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It is one of the most expensive and fashionable areas of Santiago, Chile, Santiago. Inhabitants are primarily h ...
, one of Santiago's wealthiest. Government authorities confirmed the situation, explaining that it was a brief stop while the president was returning to La Moneda to address the crisis. However, the image became an iconic moment, symbolizing the disconnection between the president and his administration and the reality faced by people suffering from the high cost of living and the chaos caused by the protests. Piñera later addressed the nation and announced a 15-day state of emergency in the capital, allowing the armed forces to patrol the city alongside the Carabineros, Chile's militarized national police force. The violence continued on 19 October and the Metro remained closed to passengers. Shops were looted, buses were set alight and clashes occurred between demonstrators and the security forces. A curfew was imposed between 22:00 and 07:00 hours. As rioting spread to other parts of the country, states of emergency were declared in the
Valparaíso Region The Valparaíso Region (, ) is one of Chile's 16 Regions of Chile, first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's second-highest population of 1,790,219 , and fourth-smallest area of , the region is Chile's sec ...
and Concepción Province. In an address to the nation in the evening, President Piñera announced the cancellation of the fare increase and the establishment of a dialogue panel, with representatives from across society, to discuss the underlying causes behind the unrest. On 20 October, many supermarkets, shopping malls and cinemas remained closed as the protests continued. Curfews were imposed for that night in the
Santiago Metropolitan Region Santiago Metropolitan Region () is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It is the country's only landlocked administrative region and contains the nation's capital, Santiago. Most commercial and administrative centers are loc ...
, and the regions of
Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...
, Biobío (including the regional capital, Concepción), and
Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...
; as the curfew began in Santiago, many protesters remained on the street. Local authorities also announced the closure of schools on 21 October (and some also on 22 October) in 43 of the 52 communes of the Metropolitan Region and across the province of Concepción. President Piñera again addressed the nation on the evening of 20 October. In his remarks, he said the country was "at war with a powerful and relentless enemy" and announced that the state of emergency, already in effect in the Metropolitan Region and the regions of
Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...
, Biobío,
Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...
and O'Higgins, would be extended to the regions of
Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
, Maule, Los Ríos, and
Magallanes Magallanes may refer to: * Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521), Portuguese explorer who led part of the first expedition around the world * Strait of Magellan, the strait between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, located in Chile Places * Magallanes ...
. Some opposition politicians described his rhetoric as "irresponsible", while a Latin America editor for BBC News Online expressed concern about the impact his words would have on the protesters and on the chances for meaningful dialogue. Hours shortly after the President's speech, chief of national defense, General Javier Iturriaga del Campo, spoke against this declaration, asserting that he was "content" and "not at war with anyone". Some incidents of unrest were reported on 21 October in Santiago, Concepción, and other cities. The Santiago Metro remained closed, except for a portion of Line 1, as did all the nation's universities and institutes of higher education. The intendant of the Metropolitan Region announced that schools would remain closed on 22 October in 48 of the region's communes.
Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December ...
, a former President of Chile then serving as the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...
, issued a call for open, sincere and immediate dialogue and warned that "the use of inflammatory rhetoric will only serve to further aggravate the situation". On 25 October, over a million people took to the streets in Santiago, and thousands more throughout Chile, to protest against President Piñera, demanding his resignation. As of 26 October 2019 19 people have died, nearly 2,500 have been injured, and 2,840 have been arrested. On 27 October, President Piñera requested all of his cabinet ministers to resign; however, he accepted 8 resignations, including the Interior Minister
Andrés Chadwick Andrés Pío Bernardino Chadwick Piñera (born 2 January 1956) is a Chilean right-wing politician and lawyer, member of the Independent Democrat Union (UDI) party. He began his political career as a supporter of the Pinochet dictatorship, and wa ...
. Three days later, Piñera withdrew Chile from hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting scheduled for November and the
United Nations Climate Change Conference The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties – the conference of the par ...
in December. According to
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...
, the protests are the worst civil unrest having occurred in Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet's
military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...
due to of the scale of damage to public infrastructure, the number of protesters, and the measures taken by the government. On 8 November, approximately 75,000 people took to the streets of Santiago to take part in anti-government protests. During the protests, a Roman Catholic church in Santiago was looted and its religious iconography was burned in the street. A university near Santiago's Plaza Italia square was burned as well.


History


Attempts for normalization and the "New Social Agenda"

Monday, 21 October, was the first business day after the big riots. The government insisted on working towards normalcy, by encouraging the return to work and school. The Secretary of Labor Nicolás Monckeberg rejected the idea to declare a holiday, despite the fact that he told businesses to give employees more flexible hours due to transportation issues. As for schools, the government gave municipalities the freedom to decide if they would hold classes. In the
metropolitan region of Santiago Santiago Metropolitan Region () is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It is the country's only landlocked administrative region and contains the nation's capital, Santiago. Most commercial and administrative centers are loca ...
, 43 of the 52 communes suspended activities, in addition to a large number of private institutions. They were joined by the majority of universities and institutions of higher education. Despite the fears of a possible shortage of food and fuel among citizens, due to the closure of shops, this did not occur, even though some people waited in long lines and others started hoarding. The Santiago Metro partially restarted activity on Monday the 21st, opening certain Line 1 stations with a reduced schedule. In the days following, they increased the number of available stations. Beginning on the 28th, five of the seven lines opened and 53 stations opened (out of a total of 136). In spite of that, low metro capacities, temporary closures of some stations, and traffic diversions due to the demonstrations created long transportation delays for citizens of Santiago, especially in the more peripheral sectors. Additionally, the use of bicycles increased because of long delays on public transportation. After five days of massive demonstrations, President Sebastián Piñera returned on the night of 22 October to address the country. During this speech, Piñera asked for forgiveness for not recognizing the issues that troubled society and announced a series of steps called the "New Social Agenda". These measures incorporate a series of small and moderate changes that will address different areas of need: * Pensions: 20% increase in the Basic Solidarity Pension and the Provisional Solidarity Contribution; additional increases in 2021 and 2022 for retirees over the age of 75; fiscal contributions to complement Social Security savings of the middle class and women; contributions of fiscal resources to improve pensions for older adults who are not eligible. * Health: Fix the government's catastrophic disease insurance project; create a project for medication; expand the agreement from Fansa with pharmacies to reduce the price of medication. * Wages: Complement, with fiscal funds, the salary of workers until they reach a minimum guaranteed income of 350,000 Bruto (298,800 pesos) for full-time work; for the workers that receive the minimum salary, this is an increase of 49,000 pesos. * Energy: Creation of a stable mechanism for electric tariffs, that voids the 9.2% rise expected in the coming months. * Taxes: Creation of a new plan in the supplementary global tax of 40% for incomes over eight million pesos per month. * Public administration: Reduction in the allowance of parliament and high salaries of the public administration; reduction of the number of members in the parliament and limits on their re-election. Even though some politicians value concrete proposals, many critique the proposals as insufficient given the scale of the protests, even from the ruling party. Within the opposition, they critique the fact that some of the proposals subsidize or favor private businesses, being only superficial changes.


"The Biggest March"

After the announcement of the "New Social Agenda", the demonstrations continued and included some new actors. On October 24, a group of truck drivers, taxi drivers and other drivers – organized in the group "no more tolling" – held a protest along Route 68 towards the headquarters of the
National Congress National Congress is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures. Political parties *Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress, original name of the Oromo People's Congress *Guyana: People's National Congress Reform *India: **In ...
in Valparaiso The following day, the group held new demonstrations occupying various urban highways in Santiago as a way about the high cost of electronic tolling. On Friday the 25th, massive marches were organized in different cities of the country. In the capital of the country, the principal announcement was made in
Plaza Baquedano Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile. The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving th ...
. "The biggest march of them all", as it was called, had an attendance that officially exceeded 1.2 million people becoming the largest recognized in Chile. This exceeded the demonstrations organized by the "No" campaign for plebiscites in 1988. The demonstration, due to its size, covered a large part of
Alameda An alameda is a street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada * Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan ** Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile * Alameda (Santi ...
, the main avenue of the city, Forestal Park, Bustamente Park,
Balmaceda Park Balmaceda Park is an urban park along the Mapocho River in Providencia, Santiago de Chile. It was originally created under the name of Parque Japonés (Japanese Park) in 1930. When Chile joined the Allies during the World War II, its name was cha ...
, and other spaces. On that same afternoon, there was a march between
Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...
and
Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune on Zona Central, Chile, central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located withi ...
with an attendance of more than 90,000 people, while in Concepción it reached 50,000 people. During the day there were multiple massive marches in other cities in Chile, between them
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
, La Serena,
Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...
, Concepción,
Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...
and
Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...
, among others. After the protests, various governmental figures expressed their support of the demonstrations through social media. President Sebastián Piñera referred to the massive march as "transversal" and "without political colors", even though the demands of the protestors include the resignation of the government and himself.


The "Agreement for Peace"

During this crisis, the president promoted the "Agreement for Peace" that made possible the constitutional plebiscite of 2020 and other reforms to end institutionally and democratically the crisis, not by the use of force. During November 13 and 14, the Chile Vamos parties, led by President Piñera, and part of the opposition – excluding the CCP, the PRO, the FRVS, the PH and CS – held a series of negotiations in the building of the former National Congress to determine the beginning of a constituent process and its implementation mechanism. Negotiations came to fruition in the early hours of November 15, announcing the completion of the plebiscite through a declaration called Agreement for Social Peace and the New Constitution.


2020 protests

On 6 January 2020,
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
entrance exams to be taken by 300,000 students around Chile were disrupted by protests over inequality and
elitism Elitism is the notion that individuals who form an elite — a select group with desirable qualities such as intellect, wealth, power, physical attractiveness, notability, special skills, experience, lineage — are more likely to be construc ...
, with some students blocking access to test sites and burning exam papers. At the end of January 2020, the social unrest (which had reduced somewhat during the Chilean summer holidays) resumed again with large demonstrations. The protests were catalysed by incidents such as the death of Jorge Mora, struck by a Carabinero vehicle after a football match. As of February 2020, an estimated 36 people had died. The
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...
(OHCHR) denounced the violence of the police and announced that between 18 October and 6 December 2019, 28,000 people had been imprisoned. The Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos (INDH) reported at the end of January 2020 that 427 persons had received eye injuries at the hands of the police. The INDH also recorded 697 attacks on lone civilians by state actors between the start of the protests in October and 31 January. Of these, 123 attacks were by Carabineros.


COVID-19 pandemic

The protests had to come to a halt due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and the establishment of several partial lockdowns in Santiago and other cities. Taking advantage of the situation, government agencies erased most of the graffiti and street art in downtown Santiago that was drawn during the protests. On 3 April, President Sebastián Piñera visited an empty Plaza Italia and took some pictures in it, which was considered by many as a way of taunting the protesters under quarantine. Piñera later regretted the situation and mentioned that he was "misinterpreted". Despite the lockdown, some protests appeared during
International Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also called Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of Wage labour, labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every yea ...
in Santiago that resulted in the arrest of 57 people by Carabineros. Detained members of the international press were later released without charge. Similar incidents were reported in the port city of Valparaíso. On 4 September 2020, police and demonstrators clashed at an anti-government protest at Plaza Italia. On 11 September 2020, the 47th anniversary of the Pinochet coup, protestors clashed with Santiago police at the central Plaza Italia that resulted in over one hundred arrests. Sixteen police officers and two civilians were injured. In the following weeks, small protests appeared again in Plaza Italia usually on Fridays and were severely repressed by Carabineros. On 2 October, an incident occurred when a police officer pushed a 16-year-old protester off the Pío Nono bridge into the
Mapocho river The River Mapocho () ( Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two. Course The Mapocho begins at the ...
. The minor suffered several fractures and
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
and was rescued by protesters. The situation sparked new protests on Saturday, 3 October near Plaza Italia, being the first time since the start of a national lockdown that the square is taken by protesters. Opposition politicians called for the resignation of
General Director A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
Mario Rozas Mario Alberto Rozas Córdova (born 2 February 1967) is a Chilean Carabineros de Chile, Carabineros officer, who was general director of that institution from December 22, 2018, to November 19, 2020. Biography He was born in the city of Linares ...
and announce an
impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...
to the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
Víctor Pérez. Also, they announce they will reject the annual budget for Carabineros unless changes are implemented. The officer is under arrest and charged with
attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seve ...
by the National Public Prossecutor. On 18 October 2020, a year after the protests of 18 October 2019, individuals set a fire on the Parroquia de La Asunción in Santiago, resulting in the bell tower collapsing from the fire. One of the 5 suspects is a Chilean Navy Corporal, which may have been an infiltrator from the Armed Forces, this was denied by the government and the Chilean Navy. Corporal Ernesto Osorio was discharged from the Navy, while he is under investigation for his involvement in the arson. Two Catholic churches in Santiago were burned as well. On 3 November 2020, Chile's Interior and Security Minister Victor Perez resigned after being suspended from his duties when the Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of an investigation over allegations he failed to stop police abuses during protests. On 18 November 2020, hundreds demonstrated in the capital demanding President Piñera's resignation with regards to police repression of the protests.


Incidents and casualties

During the protests 36 people have died as of February 2020, and thousands have been injured and arrested.
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
has received hundreds of complaints about serious human rights violations that range from excessive use of force to torture, illegal raids and arbitrary detention. Similar allegations have been received by Chile's National Institute for Human Rights, which also included reports of sexual violence.


Incidents

* 19 October ** Two women died and one man was seriously injured in a fire inside a supermarket in the southern Santiago suburb of San Bernardo. ** A Polish teacher was accidentally shot and killed by his father-in-law, who was trying to stop looters in a nearby supermarket. * 20 October ** A 38-year-old man died in a supermarket fire on Matucana Avenue, located along the border of Santiago and
Quinta Normal Quinta Normal is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It is named after Quinta Normal Park, which lies directly on the border between Quinta Normal and Santiago Centro, although the park itself is locat ...
. ** Five people died in a textile factory fire in
Renca Renca is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It was founded on 6 May 1894. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Renca spans an area of and has 133,500 inha ...
; three of them were minors. ** A 21-year-old protester was shot dead by soldiers in La Serena; another was seriously injured. ** A 23-year-old protester was shot dead inside a
La Polar La Polar is the fourth largest retail company in Chile, behind Falabella, Paris S.A and Ripley S.A. The company has 43 stores, being 38 in Chile and 5 in Colombia and offers various products, such as clothing, accessories, sporting goods, bea ...
store by soldiers in
Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...
. * 21 October ** Two people, one of them 74 years old, died in a supermarket fire in
La Pintana La Pintana is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. La Pintana is home to Antumapu, the agricultural and veterinary sciences campus of University of Chile, Chile's oldest university. Demographics Accordi ...
. ** A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in
Curicó Curicó () is a city located in Chile's central valley and serves as the capital of the Curicó Province, which is part of the Maule Region. Positioned between the provinces of Colchagua and Talca, the region stretches from the Pacific Ocean ...
, and the investigation indicated, due to the bullet found, that he had been shot by a business-owner's gun,Fiscalía retirará cargos por homicidio a militar detenido por muerte de José Miguel Uribe durante manifestaciones en Curicó
. El Mostrador, 10 de diciembre de 2019. Consultado el 11 de diciembre de 2019.
and another three people were seriously injured. (The city was not under a state of emergency.) ** In the commune of
Talcahuano Talcahuano () (From Mapudungun ''Tralkawenu'', "Thundering Sky") is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile. ...
, in the city of Concepción during a period of looting, military forces ran over and killed a 23-year-old man. ** A man was fatally electrocuted during looting in a Santa Isabel supermarket in a suburb of Santiago. ** A 39-year-old man died in a hospital from injuries sustained in a beating carried out by policemen in Maipú, western Santiago. (His name was initially not included on the official list of dead; it was added on 23 October.) * 22 October ** A man was killed after being shot in the head by a tenant who feared looting. ** A driver rammed his car into protesters killing two people, including a 4 year old toddler, and wounding 17; this event increased the death toll to 17. * 10 November 2019 – Reñaca shooting **
John Cobin John Macarewich Cobin (born 10 March 1963) is a U.S. born blogger, convicted criminal, and social commentator. He renounced his US citizenship in December 2015 and holds a Chilean citizenship. He has taught at various Chilean institutions and was a ...
opened fire on Chilean demonstrators in
Reñaca Reñaca or ''Reñaca Bajo'', is a seaside town in the commune of Viña del Mar, Chile. The town is located along the coast in between the city of Viña del Mar and the city of Concón. Since the commune of Concón was created in 1995, Reñaca and ...
, Chile, wounding Luis Jesús Ahumada Villegas, a 33-year old protester, in the leg. * 27 December ** Following the last protest march of the year, a demonstrator called Mauricio Fredes died after falling into a construction hole, whilst being pursued by police. * 31 January ** A man who had been shot in the head at a protest outside a police station in Santiago died of his wounds in hospital. ** The body of a man thought to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning was recovered from a supermarket which had been looted and burnt.


Excessive use of force

According to the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), the use of rubber pellets by security forces has left at least 964 injured, including 222 with eye problems. According to the Chilean
Ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...
Society, this is the highest number of injuries of this type registered during protests or in conflict zones in the world. Bandaged eyes had become so common that they become a symbol for protesters. Human rights organisations have received several reports of violations conducted against protesters, including torture, sexual abuse and rape.
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
's investigations "allege that state security forces, including both the police and army, deliberately use excessive force against protesters." Amnesty International went on to state that " he military and policeare using unnecessary and excessive force with the intention of injuring and punishing protesters." According to Erika Guevara-Rosas, the America's director for the human rights group, "the intention of the Chilean security forces is clear: to injure demonstrators in order to discourage protest."
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
stated that "indiscriminate and improper use of riot guns and shotguns, abuse of detainees in custody, and poor internal accountability systems gave rise to serious violations of the rights of many Chileans".


Other incidents


2019

* On 18 October, during riots at the historical
Estación Central Estación Central ((), Spanish for "central station") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It is named after the Estación Central railway station, which is located within the commune. Demographi ...
station, a young woman was gravely injured in the legs by gunfire from Carabineros riot police. The woman was aided by nearby protesters and passers-by as she suffered extensive
blood loss Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, v ...
before being extracted by emergency services. * On 19 October, a doctor assaulted by a police officer during a protest indicated that the police officer had signs of being under the influence of drugs. * On 20 October, President Piñera extended the state of emergency in the north and south of the country and said "we are at war against a powerful enemy that doesn't respect anything or anyone". * On 8 November, the Pedro Valdivia University was set ablaze. Initial reports suggested this was due to the indiscriminate firing of tear gas canisters by Carabineros into the building. The Roman Catholic church Veronica de Lastarria near the main site of the demonstration at Baquedano Square (commonly referred to as Italia Square) has been looted and a statue of Jesus and furniture from the interior of the church were taken out on the street and burned down. * On 27 December, in the night, the Cine Arte Alameda, an arts center, was burnt down. An investigation by the Criminal Investigation Brigade (Brigada de Investigación Criminal) is reported to have concluded that no explanation for the fire could be ruled out.


2020

* On 18 January The tomb of folksinger
Víctor Jara Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and PCCh, Communist political activist. He developed Chilean theater by directing a bro ...
was vandalised. * On 20 January, at a protest following the death of Jorge Mora, a group of Carabineros beat up a young man called Matías Soto. The entire attack was recorded by a security camera. The INDH announced it would sue the Carabineros for torture. * On 7 February, the Violeta Parra Museum was arson attacked. The chief of the Santiago Fire Department said the causes were not yet established. * On 28 February, the Violeta Parra Museum was again arson attacked, with eyewitnesses recording that Carabineros shot at least 6 tear gas canisters into the building. Officially, the cause was not ascertained. *By August 20, 2020, newspaper ''
La Tercera (), formerly known as (), is a daily newspaper published in Santiago, Chile and owned by Copesa. It is s closest competitor. is part of Periódicos Asociados Latinoamericanos ( Latin American Newspaper Association), an organization of fourte ...
'' reported that only 0.9 of the legal complaints originating from the protests had so far resulted in convictions. * On 18 October, a year after the start of the social outbreak, a series of demonstrations took place in which some 25,000 people gathered in various cities of the country. Although the majority were peaceful, within the framework of the Chile national plebiscite of 2020's campaign, there were isolated clashes with police, 580 people being detained, and two severe fires were registered in the Church of San Francisco de Borja and in the Parroquia de la Asunción, two Catholic churches of Santiago.


Aftermath – 2021 and 2022

* On 5 February, street artist Francisco Martínez dies after being shot by a police official during an identity check in
Panguipulli Panguipulli ( ; Mapudungun for "hill of the puma") is a city and commune in Valdivia Province, southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Panguipulli. It is located on the western edge of Panguipulli Lake, and is on a moraine in the ...
,
Los Ríos Region The Los Ríos Region (Spanish: ''Región de Los Ríos'', , ''Region of the Rivers'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, the country's first-order administrative divisions. Its capital is Valdivia. It began to operate as a region on October 2, 20 ...
. His death generated a wave of protests, riots and vandalism, resulting later that night in the burning of the building that housed various public offices, including Panguipulli's town hall. * On 12 March, the four tons statue of
General Baquedano Manuel Jesús Baquedano González (; January 1, 1823 – September 30, 1897) was a Chilean soldier and politician, who served as Commander-in-chief of the Army during the War of the Pacific, and briefly as President of Chile during the civil wa ...
was removed from the
Plaza Baquedano Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile. The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving th ...
to be restored by the "National Council of Monuments", after continuous acts of vandalism by protesters. Attempts to burn and tear down the statue were made on 5 and 8 March respectively, ultimately prompting the authorities to take the decision. * On 30 May the headquarters of the right-wing parties National Renewal and
Independent Democratic Union The Independent Democratic Union (''Unión Demócrata Independiente'', UDI) is a conservative and right-wing political party in Chile, founded in 1983. Its founder was the lawyer, politician, law professor and senator Jaime Guzmán, a civilian a ...
were attacked and the
Memorial to Jaime Guzmán A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, Tragedy (event), tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objec ...
was vandalized with graffiti. * On 30 July, new Friday afternoon protests demanding the liberation of the ''" prisoners of the revolt"'' ended up with riots and vandalism at Barrio Lastarria, where many pubs and restaurants were heavily damaged by a mob. * On 10 October during a demonstration supporting the indigenous rights in Santiago, Denisse Cortés was killed by a firework explosion in front of the
Catholic University of Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile; ) is a traditional private university based in Santiago, Chile. It is one of the thirteen Catholic universities existing in Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical univers ...
. She was a 43-year-old law student and human rights activist. The situation is under investigation. * On 18 October, the second anniversary, around ten thousand people gathered in the surroundings of Plaza Baquedano. Subsequently, fainting and vandalism were recorded that caused the destruction of the protective barrier at the base of the statue of General Baquedano and the fire of it. Supermarkets and fast food outlets were looted and the stairs leading to the Santa Lucía hill were set on fire. * On Friday April 1, 2022, one public transport bus was torched and one person was rammed by a police vehicle. * On April 30, 2022, a former candidate for the Constitutional Convention was detained by police while providing protesters tires for building barricades. *On 18 October 2022, protests were arranged in Santiago, Concepción, Valparaíso, Antofagasta, Temuco and Valdivia. In Valparaíso secondady students marched along university students and social organizations. The group marched towards the
National Congress of Chile The National Congress of Chile () is the legislative branch of the Republic of Chile. According to the current Constitution ( Chilean Constitution of 1980), it is a bicameral organ made up of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. Established by l ...
. Towards the end of the march some protesters engaged the police. In Santiago and Antofagasta protesters erected barricades. Outside
University of La Frontera Universidad de La Frontera, or UFRO, is a public university in Temuco, Araucanía Region, Chile. It is a derivative university and part of the Chilean Traditional Universities. UFRO boasts a student body with a variety of abilities and from a va ...
in Temuco there were clashes between about 15 hooded protesters and police.


Government response

In late November 2019, security forces announced the suspension of the use of rubber pellets as a crowd control method in the protests.


Reactions


International reactions


NGOs

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
and
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
both expressed concern over the government's response to the protests, citing "excessive use of force" by the Chilean Police, as well as "possible arbitrary detentions of demonstrators".


Solidarity protests

In
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
's largest city
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, hundreds of protesters staged a solidarity march on 27 October 2019.


Others

Polish party Lewica Razem issued official statement strongly supporting protests.


Popular culture

130px, Comedian Stefan Kramer performing the " Primera Línea" at the Festival de Viña 2020, where he was harshly criticized by right-wing politicians for "praising and idealizing" violence. Some costume-clad protesters have emerged as "superheroes" from among the many demonstrations and protests throughout the country. They have gained significant attention on social media by being captured with particular attitudes or outfits. After
going viral Viral phenomena or viral sensations are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the te ...
, they were colloquially called the "Chilean
Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
", in reference to the superheroes of
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Among them stands out: " Baila Pikachu", "Stupid and sensual Spiderman", " Pareman", the "
Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
", " Nalcaman", the "Granny", the "
Selknam Selknam or Selkʼnam may refer to: *Selkʼnam people, also known as the Ona, an Indigenous group in South America. *Selknam (rugby union), a rugby union team in Chile. *Selkʼnam language Selkʼnam, also known by the exonym Ona, is a language fo ...
", "
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
", "Yutakiller" and the dog " Negro Matapacos". On 22 November 2019, some of them held a meeting recreating a scene from the movie ''
The Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
'' in
Plaza Baquedano Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile. The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving th ...
, organized by the production company ''Nano''.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chilean protests, 2019-2020 2010s in Santiago, Chile 2019 in Chile 2019 protests 2019 riots 2020 protests 2021 protests October 2019 in Chile Protests in Chile Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic Riots and civil disorder in Chile