Anti-Government Protests Continue in Santiago, Chile

Sputnik ^ | 00:54 26.10.2019 | Esteban Felix

[robowombat]

00:54 26.10.2019

Protesters returns a tear gas canisters to police during clashes in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, 20 October 2019. Protests in the country have spilled over into a new day, even after President Sebastian Pinera cancelled the subway fare hike that prompted massive and violent demonstrations. Anti-Government Protests Continue in Santiago, Chile –

Mass protests were organised in Santiago, the capital of Chile, after the government announced an increase in public transportation fares. While the motion was later abandoned, the demonstrations have morphed into a broader movement protesting against other grievances. Chileans have taken to the streets for another day of protests in the capital city, Santiago, that were triggered by public transport fare hikes.

Over the past few weeks, the demonstrations grew to other parts of the country as police used force to put down the riots. Even though the government scrapped the initiative to raise the prices of public transportation, the protests continued, forcing Chilean authorities to declare an emergency, issue curfews in several cities and deploy the military.

Still, the unrest continued, leading to the deaths of over a dozen of people.

[MeganC]

Sounds to me like the subway fare hikes are not the real reason for the protests.

I wonder what the rest of the story is?

[SpaceBar]

I agree. We are not being told the whole story.

[robowombat]

There is a generalized, wide spread rage at the current control of the Chilean economy by a well organized and pervasive racket like economic elite. Average Chileans see their standard of living perceptibly decline year by year. The government is largely hands off and paid off to do nothing . The simmering sense of rage cuts across the political spectrum. It is akin to the ‘I'm mad as hell and I won't take it any more’ trope.

[Seruzawa]

The alternative to their corrupt govt is apparently just to starve ala Venezuela. There seems to be little else south of the Rio Grande.

[Yogafist]

My dad was in Santiago in the early 70’s when the government fell. Someplace he has slides of the empty refrigerator at the hotel he was staying. He said they were actually served food with maggots at one point. He camped out in an airport for about a week before finally getting out. When I can get him talking about his experience it is fascinating, and should be heard by these neo-socialists.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Pinera is an adherent of Milton Friedman. Plenty of Chicago boys in the government. Does this mean there needs to be wards of the state to keep the lid on?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Yeah, no.

Average Chileans have seen their standard of living perceptibly rise not decline year by year.

I have a number of friends there and people who were struggling to put food on the table a couple of decades ago now own houses, cars and take nice vacations.

There are problems but if you think that people are rioting over a six cent increase in toll you are sadly deluded.

Somewhat as in the States, when a Conservative is in power the communists do everything they can to get them out.

[CapnJack]

“I wonder what the rest of the story is?”

Commie/Marxists ... the same old story.

[Chaguito]

Yup, 30 years since Pinochet voluntarily handed over power. 25 of those years under left-wing governments. So, clearly, all problems are on the current conservative president.

Right.

[DazedVet]

I have a friend that lives there and he says that it’s all international socialist outside agitators. So just like we have busing people in and providing with signs and marching orders to riot and destroy in the name of fairness.

[blueplum]

found the below article you might read. Some of the issues the author describes are, a one-commodity nation, the disruptiveness of a million ‘immigrants’ in a country of 17 million, students upset over a 5cent increase in subway fares, and pipe-dreams of social safety nets that haven’t materialized fast enough to appease critics. According to the author, there are more middle- and upper middle-class in Chili than at any time before, inequality at its lowest, but there are those that resist the “the overly individualistic basis of the market-friendly economic model. “ Are the riots being coordinated between different cities as the President of Chili claims? Doesn’t seem like the rank and file of Chili are really into the destruction. Or have much sympathy for the malcontents running around burning buildings (and two little old ladies) over 5 cents.

https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/chiles-riots-frustration-gate-promised-land