Are the protesters the heroes or villains?
Don’t know. The riots are allegedly over a public transit fare increase, but they have been far more widespread and violent than would seem warranted for that one issue.
The protesters are just folks who are absolutely fed up with the way they have been treated by the government and businesses for the last 25 years. Having lived and worked there, I feel some sympathy. OTOH, there is a lot of simple resentment that politicians are getting rich by being politicians. That sounds familiar.
The damage is being done by anarchist and communist youth, egged on by the ultra-left-wing parties, a coalition called the Frente Amplio (Broad Front). The leftist outcry against the government’s efforts to control the violence has led to a sort of paralysis in the executive branch. So, slowly but surely, neighborhoods are beginning to take enforcement into their own hands. Sort of like Koreans in the L.A. riots of 1992.