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Chile: protests rage on as president extends state of emergency Chile: protests rage on as president extends state of emergency
(about 3 hours later)
Protests and violence in Chile have spilled over into a new day and left at least seven people dead despite the president cancelling a subway fare increase that prompted the violent demonstrations. Protests and violence continued in Chile overnight despite the president cancelling a rise in subway fares that has prompted violent demonstrations.
Santiago and other Chilean cities have been engulfed by several days of riots, along with peaceful protests, after the increase in public transport costs. Authorities said seven people had been killed in incidents related to the protests, without giving further details. Officials in the Santiago region said three people had died in fires at two looted supermarkets early on Sunday. Sixty Walmart-owned outlets were vandalised, and the company said many stores did not open during the day. Five more people later were found dead in the basement of a burned warehouse and were not employees, authorities said.
Violence flared again on Sunday, including the looting of 40 supermarkets and other businesses. At least two airlines cancelled or rescheduled flights into the capital, affecting more than 1,400 passengers Sunday and Monday.
The worsening unrest prompted president Sebastián Piñera to extend a state of emergency to cities in its north and south. “We are at war with a powerful, relentless enemy that respects nothing or anyone and is willing to use violence and crime without any limits,” President Sebastián Piñera said on Sunday in an unscheduled speech from the military headquarters.
“We are at war against a powerful enemy, who is willing to use violence without any limits,” Piñera said in a late-night televised statement at army headquarters in Santiago. Piñera, a billionaire conservative who served as president between 2010 and 2014 before taking office again in March 2018, is facing the worst crisis of his second term.
On Saturday night, he announced he was cancelling a subway fare rise imposed two weeks ago. The fare increase sparked major protests that included rioting that caused millions of dollars in damage to burned buses and vandalised subway stops, office buildings and stores.
After meeting the heads of the legislature and judicial system earlier on Sunday, Piñera said they discussed solutions to the crisis and that he aimed “to reduce excessive inequalities, inequities abuses, that persist in our society”.
Jaime Quintana, the president of the senate, said “the political world must take responsibility for how we have come to this situation”.
Authorities said 10,500 soldiers and police officers were patrolling the streets in Santiago as state of emergency and curfew remained in effect for six Chilean cities, but protests continued during the day on Sunday. Security forces used teargas and jets of water to try disperse crowds.
The interior minister, Andrés Chadwick, reported that 62 police officers and 11 civilians were injured in the latest disturbances and prosecutors said nearly 1,500 people had been arrested. He said late on Sunday there had been more than 70 “serious events” during the day, including more than 40 incidents of looting.
With transportation frozen, Cynthia Cordero said she had walked 20 blocks to reach a pharmacy to buy nappies, only to find it had been burned down. “They don’t have the right to do this,” she said, adding it was right to protest “against the abuses, the increases in fares, against bad education and an undignified pension, but not to destroy”.
Chile protests: state of emergency declared in Santiago as violence escalatesChile protests: state of emergency declared in Santiago as violence escalates
Pinera said Santiago’s metro and bus system would operate a partial service on Monday, along with hospitals and some schools and crèches, and appealed for Chileans to band together and help their neighbors to get on with their lives and remain safe. Long queues formed at petrol stations as people tried to fill up for a coming workweek with a public transport system disrupted by the destructive protests. Santiago’s subway, which carries an average of 2.4 million passengers on a weekday, had been shut down since Friday.
“Tomorrow we will have a difficult day,” he said. “We are very aware that (the perpetrators of riots) have a degree of organisation, logistics, typical of a criminal organisation,” he said. The Subway system chief, Louis De Grange, said workers would try to have at least one line running Monday, but he said it could take weeks or months to have the four others back in service. He said 85 stations and more than three-quarters of the system had been severely damaged.
“Today is not the time for ambiguities. I call on all my compatriots to unite in this battle against violence and delinquency,” he said.
At least two airlines cancelled or rescheduled flights into the capital, affecting more than 1,400 passengers on Sunday and Monday.
Piñera, facing the worst crisis of his second term as head of the South American country, announced on Saturday night that he was cancelling a subway fare hike imposed two weeks ago.
Piñera said in a national address broadcast from the presidential palace in Santiago late on Saturday that he had listened “with humility” to “the voice of my compatriots” and to discontent over the cost of living in one of Latin America’s wealthiest yet most unequal nations. He also announced a working group to address their concerns.
The fare boost had led to major protests that included rioting that caused millions of dollars in damage to burned buses and vandalised subway stops, office buildings and stores.
After meeting with the heads of the legislature and judicial system on Sunday, Piñera said they discussed solutions to the current crisis and that he aims “to reduce excessive inequalities, inequities abuses, that persist in our society.”
Chile students' mass fare-dodging expands into city-wide protest
Jaime Quintana, president of the senate, said that “the political world must take responsibility for how we have come to this situation.”
Interior minister Andrés Chadwick reported that seven people had died during the demonstrations and that 62 police officers and 11 civilians were injured in the latest disturbances and prosecutors said nearly 1,500 people had been arrested.
With transportation frozen, Cynthia Cordero said she had walked 20 blocks to reach a pharmacy to buy diapers, only to find it had been burned.
“They don’t have the right to do this,” she said, adding it was right to protest “against the abuses, the increases in fares, against bad education and an undignified pension, but not to destroy.”
Long lines formed at petrol stations as people tried to fill up for a coming week with a public transport system depleted by the destructive protests.
Subway system chief Louis De Grange said workers would try to have at least one line running by Monday, but he said it could take weeks or months to have the four others back in service.
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