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Description
Friday, October 18, 2019, six days after Chilean President Sebastián Piñera proclaimed that “In the midst of this turbulent Latin America, our country is a true oasis,” high-school students in Santiago protested the rising cost of public transit through mass fare evasions. Support of the students manifested into massive demonstrations by an estimated 1.2 million people. President Piñera harkened back to the last dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, by uttering on television, referring to the protesters; “We are at war.” This infuriated the citizens and was a stark reminder of the massive inequalities and repression that had transpired from the days of conquest by the Spanish up to and including under the Pinochet regime and during democracy. As a result of this lack of empathy by the President, buildings began to burn, windows were broken, and graffiti called for the President to resign. These actions highlighting the struggles of the people appeared on nearly everywhere in the capital city of Santiago as well as surrounding cities. The demands of the protesters fell on the deaf ears of the government for nearly two weeks as protests intensified. Martial law and curfews were established in Santiago and surrounding cities. Despite crackdowns, uprisings continued, and the government could no longer ignore the backlash and ultimately had to listen to the demands of the people. The demands of the protesters were to roll back the neoliberal reforms implemented during the reign of Pinochet and, address the concerns of the average person. As a result, President Piñera capitulated to a few demands agreeing in part to call for a referendum for a new Constitution in April 2020. These few concessions have not stopped the protesting but merely slowed it down to only being on Friday nights around 5:30pm. I’ll offer my suggestions to prevent further protests to assist the government and people coming together for their country.
