Hundreds of Chilean students, fighting to overhaul their education system, clashed with an intensified police force as they protested without permission on Thursday through the center of Santiago.
The Student Confederation of Chile (CONFECH) called students across Chile to protest in April, a month after school began. Students were fed up with the growing privatization trend in Chile that began under Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in the 1980s.
So far, every protest for education reform ended with marchers drenched by water cannon jets and clouds of tear gas. Thursday mornings protest was no different, except some politicians said, this time the violence against students crossed the line.
Police use a "guanaco" to disperse students. Image by Flickr user FabsY_ (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Over a thousand officers driving armored vehicles, forging ahead on foot in bullet-proof Carabineros (police) uniforms, and riding teams of horses herded the students away from the presidential palace. Metal gates sealed off several metro stations.
The protest sky-rocketed to the top of the city's trending topics on Twitter as students vented their growing frustrations using hashtags like #4deagosto, #laalamedaesnuestra and #camilasomostodos.
Eder Rivas (@ederivas), tweeted at 1:08 p.m.:
En las protestas hay toda clase de animales: guanacos y carabineros. Sólo faltan militares y armamos un zoológico.
In these protests, there are all types of of animals: guanacos and police. Were only missing the military, then wed have a zoo
Students often compare guanacos, an infamous spitting Chilean camel, to the police vehicle that fires water from its roof.
Many demonstrators remained calm, but some - covered by hooded sweatshirts, gloves and masks - pelted police vehicles with rocks. Two officers were wounded. Police detained 235 of the about 800 protesting students.
Students actually requested permission to have this two-part march on Thursday starting at 10:30 a.m. for high school students. CONFECH organized a second march at 6:30 p.m.. But the students were told to scram.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said on Wednesday that he wont authorize any new student marches on the street leading to the presidential office, calle Alameda. He cited millions of dollars in damages, business-owner complaints, and lost class-time as the reasons behind his decision.
Unfazed by Hinzpeters disapproval, students exercised their constitutional right to protest. Chile's Constitution in Article 19, No. 13, guarantees the right to peaceful assembly without prior permission and without arms.
A contradictory regulation, issued in 1983 during Augusto Pinochets dictatorship, allows the dissolution of demonstrations that do not have the appropriate permission from authorities, i.e. Hinzpeters approval. The rule also gives authorities the power to dissolve a demonstration. The Equality Institute took a closer look at this conflict and deemed it unconstitutional [es].
Nevertheless, Hinzpeter still envoked the decree's power to ban the students from protesting.
Camila Vallejo (@camila_vallejo), leader of CONFECH, tweeted:
Lo que hoy pasa en nuestro pais, desnuda a la derecha en su verdadera forma de gobernar, nosotros no tenemos miedo, ellos si.
Today in our country, the government was exposed for what it really is, we are not afraid, they are.
Hinzpeters decision proved to be a political misstep for the minister. Immediately following 10:30 a.m. demonstration, a group of deputies and senators called for his resignation due to him authorizing a brutal crackdown on students. [es]
On Monday, President Sebastián Piñera presented a series of 21 reforms that would install new government agencies to handle educational concerns. His plan called for an increase in educational funding to help pay teachers and take care of unpaid student loans. It would also offer more scholarships to universities.
CONFECH said theyll respond to the presidents plan on Friday. If the escalating violence and continued demonstrations in Santiago and across Chile today are an indication, Piñeras plan hasnt placated the protesters.
Sergio Canales, (@sergiocanalesv), tweeted:
Esto hace rato dejó de ser tema de derecha o izquierda, es gente normal que quiere las cosas más justas #4deagosto.
This long ago stopped being a left or right issue, it is just ordinary people who want things more fair. #4deagosto.
Sentidos Comunes posted live streaming video of the protests, as did @VotaInteligente. Furthermore, students inside the Universidad de Concepción in southern Chile streamed throughout the day via twitcam.
A cacerolazo was planned for Thursday night, as Global Voices author Felipe Cordero (@felipe_cordero) reports on Twitter:
Impressive number of people banging pots throughout Santiago. It hasn't stopped. This is not a struggle of a minority of students #4deagosto
#cacerolazo became a worldwide trending topic on the night of Thursday, August 4.
