Still Not Enough — Protests Resurge in Chile, Despite Proposed Reforms
Demonstrations in Santiago late last year. Cr: (@lagartija_sin_cola)
By: Marcus Day
New York — After several weeks of dormancy, unrest in Chile has resurged as protestors once again clash with police.
The protests initially started over metro fare hikes in the country’s capital, Santiago. This was in October of last year. The unrest calmed during Chile’s summer months of December and January, however they have reinvigorated in early February 2020. At least 27 have died since the protests started late last year. Some sources have the death toll closer to 40.
This turbulence comes as a surprise for many, as Chile was seen as one of the more prosperous South American governments. Since the country’s switch to democracy, Santiago has been lauded for its stability and pro-business environment.
In the last twenty years, the poverty rate of $5.5 a day has fallen from 30% to just 6.4%.
Despite these strong points, wages remain low and cost of living is too high for most Chileans.
Though protests were ignited by the metro fare increase, the discontent is widely attributed more to the country’s high wealth inequality. Chile is currently the 16th most unequal country in the world.
Chileans have called for reforms to healthcare, education, the pension system and the constitution, which dates back to 1980 and the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Chile’s billionaire President, Sebastian Piñera has announced several changes attempting to quell the unrest. These include a minimum wage increase, a suspension of the metro fare hike, healthcare reform, and more. Piñera’s government will also rewrite the constitution. However, according to the Washington Post, the document won’t be submitted for approval until late 2021.
Unfortunately for the president, Chileans are still protesting, as a growing resentment towards capitalistic policies and recent police brutality have fueled ongoing dissent.
“Chile’s national police, Carabineros, committed serious human rights violations, including excessive use of force in the streets and abuses in detention, after thousands of Chileans took to the streets,” says Human Rights Watch.
A main venue for these demonstrations has been on the football field. Both protests and clashes with the police have occurred around the sport, leading to the death of a spectator this past week.
Videos of this brutality are rampant on the internet. Police cars targeting people in the street , riot police attacking lone individuals, and all out violent clashes between the authorities and protestors are common occurrences.
“President Sebastián Piñera has clearly not taken all the measures open to him to stop the grave human rights violations and possible crimes under international law that have kept occurring in Chile since the beginning of the social protests. The persistent violent repression against demonstrators may well intensify,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
The proposed reforms and decreased poverty rates have proven insufficient for many Chileans. Many vow to continue to demonstrate until more radical change comes.