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Chile Unrest Spreads, With Deaths Reported in Violence Chile Unrest Spreads, With 11 Deaths Reported in Violence
(about 7 hours later)
Violence and looting continued to rock Chile on Sunday, resulting in at least eight deaths as stores and other establishments were set alight despite the imposition of a state of emergency in at least six cities. SANTIAGO — The Chilean capital was virtually paralyzed on Monday as streets were blocked by protesters out for the fourth day in a row, subway stations that were ransacked remained shut, and stores, banks and schools were also shuttered.
The demonstrations started over a subway fare increase two weeks ago, which President Sebastián Piñera canceled on Saturday night. But his move failed to quell the wave of demonstrations that continued to convulse the country into Sunday, and calls were circulating for a national strike on Monday. The government sent out 10,500 soldiers and police officers to patrol the streets and calm protests that had left at least 11 people dead over the weekend.
Three people were killed in fires at supermarkets that were looted on Sunday, and another five people were found dead in a warehouse that had been burned, officials told The Associated Press. That brought the total number of deaths over the weekend to 11, after three people died on Saturday. Soldiers in camouflage were seen patrolling the capital, as riot police clashed with protesters, set fire to buses and vandalized subway stops. The authorities tried to get the capital moving again by clearing debris and deploying hundreds of buses. But they could not stop clashes between demonstrators and police, and most workers stayed home.
The unrest was some of the worst to hit the country in decades, and the sight of military tanks on the streets was jarring for Chileans who are still reeling from a former 17-year military dictatorship, during which the armed forces committed rampant abuses. The protests, which started over a small increase in transportation costs, have gained momentum and grown into an expression of deep anger that despite economic growth, wages have remained stagnant and people's lives have not improved.
Over the weekend, the situation escalated into Chile’s most serious political crisis since the country’s return to democracy in 1990 following the 17-year dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
On Monday, a state of emergency was declared in Santiago and 14 other cities that had been affected by protests, looting and arson.
President Sebastián Piñera, one of the nation’s wealthiest businessmen, appeared rattled on Friday night as he deployed the army around the capital and imposed a state of emergency that he later extended to other Chilean cities.
“We are at war against a powerful enemy, who is willing to use violence without any limits,” he said in a televised address from the Chilean Army’s headquarters in Santiago.
He blamed organized criminal groups for the violence.
The president’s remarks were widely viewed as incendiary, and on Monday, Gen. Javier Iturriaga, the national defense chief, who is also in charge of security around the Santiago metropolitan area, distanced himself from them.
“I’m not at war with anybody,’’ General Iturriaga said.
The demonstrations started over a subway fare increase two weeks ago, which Mr. Piñera canceled on Saturday night. But his move failed to quell the wave of demonstrations, and on Monday protesters returned to the streets in defiance of the military.
“Everything has to burn,” said Alexis Toro, a 24-year-old student on his way to a demonstration on Monday. “The president announced he would wage war on the people, so he is getting his war.”
Army troops guarded subway stations after many were ransacked or burned.
Chile had been a model of stability in the region for decades, with a solid economy and political parties of the center-left and the right alternating power through peaceful elections.
But in recent years, reduced demand for Chilean copper, rising oil prices and a stronger dollar have led to lower economic growth. Coupled with a deeply unequal distribution of wealth, this has resulted in growing disaffection.
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, a socialist and now the United Nations human rights chief, released a statement on Monday calling for a “profound examination of the wide range of socio-economic issues underlying the current crisis.’’
Three people were killed in fires at supermarkets that were looted on Sunday, and another five people were found dead in a warehouse that had been burned, said government officials. In addition to the three people who died on Saturday, that brought the total number of deaths over the weekend to 11.
The interior minister, Andrés Chadwick, said on Sunday that 62 police officers and 11 civilians were injured in the latest violence and that nearly 1,500 people had been arrested.The interior minister, Andrés Chadwick, said on Sunday that 62 police officers and 11 civilians were injured in the latest violence and that nearly 1,500 people had been arrested.
As of Sunday night, a state of emergency had been declared in the capital, Santiago, and five other cities that had been affected by protests, looting and arson: Valparaíso, Concepción, Rancagua, Coquimbo and Antofagasta. Sergio Micco, director of the National Institute for Human Rights, said the institute has filed several legal cases accusing the police and the army of excessive use of force, including using rubber bullets against protesters. The police were also accused of forcing women they arrested to strip naked in police stations.
President Piñera said on Sunday night that the state of emergency would be extended to more cities in the country’s north and south. After violent skirmishes on Sunday between demonstrators and the police filled Santiago’s Plaza Baquedano, a central landmark, an even more massive — but peaceful — demonstration assembled there on Monday. And thousands of demonstrators gathered again on Monday in Ñuñoa, a middle-class neighborhood, for the second day in a row.
“We are at war against a powerful enemy, who is willing to use violence without any limits,” he said in a televised address from the Chilean Army’s headquarters in Santiago, according to Reuters. Fearing shortages, many people waited in long lines outside stores and gasoline stations.
The actions are the first time since Chile’s return to democracy in 1990 that the government has declared a state of emergency because of public disorder in the capital.
In Santiago on Sunday, there were violent skirmishes between demonstrators and the police all afternoon in Plaza Baquedano, a central landmark.
Thousands of other demonstrators gathered for hours in Ñuñoa, a middle-class neighborhood, cutting off a major thoroughfare in a peaceful protest. There were no police officers in sight.
The disturbances led at least two airlines to cancel or reschedule flights into Santiago. About 5,000 people were forced to stay overnight in the airport on Sunday because of canceled flights or suspensions of public transit into the city.The disturbances led at least two airlines to cancel or reschedule flights into Santiago. About 5,000 people were forced to stay overnight in the airport on Sunday because of canceled flights or suspensions of public transit into the city.
The government imposed a curfew in Santiago from Sunday night to Monday morning, and said that 10,500 soldiers and police officers were patrolling the city. Long lines were forming at gas stations before the start of the workweek. The government imposed a curfew in Santiago for Monday night — the third night in a row.
The chief of the subway system, Louis de Grange, said he hoped to restore service to one line by Monday, but that four other lines might not be back in service for weeks or months.
“Tomorrow we will have a difficult day,” President Piñera said on Sunday night, referring to partial suspensions of service at hospitals, schools, crèches and across Santiago’s public transit network. He added that the perpetrators of the unrest had “a degree of organization, logistics, typical of a criminal organization.”
Mr. Piñera’s comments came hours after he met with leaders of the legislature and judiciary system and pledged “to reduce excessive inequalities, inequities abuses, that persist in our society.”
Pascale Bonnefoy contributed reporting.