A Call for Revolution in Chile
Chile, arguably the most stable and prosperous country in Latin America, has recently been experiencing its largest political crisis since its peaceful transition to democracy in 1990. For the past two weeks, Chileans from all factions of society have been flooding the streets demanding systemic change. The wave of protests began with a group of secondary students who protested on October 18th as a response to a proposed 3% rise in Santiago metro fares. Within a day, student protests over the increase in metro prices became a drive for wider action and awareness. The initial student movement turned into a revolt against the increased cost of living, extractive institutions in the society, the ruling elite, corruption, crushing debt, inadequate education system, highly expensive and insufficient healthcare, and, most importantly, the prevalent inequality in the country.
Following the declaration of metro fare increases, a group of protestors, mostly consisting of secondary school students, rose in rebellion across Santiago. Starting off with fare evasion, demonstrators took over the main train stations across the city and caused heavy damages in the infrastructure, eventually disabling the entire network. Simultaneously, the movement was propagated through social media under the hashtag #EvasionMasiva.
Meanwhile, President Sebastián Piñera declared a state of emergency and sent armed forces to regions of high conflict to enforce order and prevent further destruction of public property. On October 19th, a curfew lasting from 10 pm to 4 am was implemented in Santiago. At that point, protestors were out of control as they expressed their anger and dissatisfaction with the status quo by rioting in the streets, looting supermarkets, setting buses and cars on fire, engaging in cacerolazos (loud pot-beating protests), breaking windows, and shouting out slogans. To prevent the spread of protests to other cities, the government took strict measures against demonstrators by firing plastic bullets, water cannons, and spraying pepper gas.
Soon enough, the government’s relentless approach towards the protesters, along with violent acts conducted by police officers, only led to more protests all across Chile, from San Antonio to Concepcion to Valparaiso. As of 29 October, brutal repression by the security forces has left 19 people dead, more than 2,500 injured (including 100 left blind after being shot in the eye), and 5,000 arrested. 81 metro stations have been damaged and 17 have been burnt. As of Monday (28 October), UN human rights officials entered the country for the investigation of 120 cases of human rights violations, including torture and sexual abuse.
For some Chileans, the chaotic nature of this rebellion is reminiscent of the 1973 military coup, which overthrew President Salvador Allende and resulted in Augusto Pinochet’s 17-year military dictatorship. Just a few days before the protests, Pinera, in his own words, described Chile as “a true oasis within a convulsed Latin America.” According to data collected by the World Bank, Chile is the fastest growing economy in the region. However, recent data gathered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranks Chile amongst the worst in the world in terms of income inequality, which is at the root of the current unrest. What is worse than the prevailing inequality in Chilean society is the ruling elite’s inability to understand the needs and demands of the people.
Protesters succeeded in preventing an increase in transit prices and their actions led to cabinet changes. In an effort to silence the crowds, Piñera fired members from his cabinet, including the interior minister, Andres Chadwic (a supporter of Pinochet) and the finance minister, Felipe Larrain. However, challenging days are ahead for the government, as protestors’ demands encompass much more – Chileans are calling for dialogue and long-term systematic change. Chile may no longer be the “oasis” Piñera claims it to be.