By Anne Holmes
Chile. This southernmost Spanish-speaking country is unique in many ways. From its
universally recognisable shape with a coastline that spans 4,000 miles to its extreme climates;
this country is home to the driest place on Earth, the Atacama desert, and to penguins, found in the deep south, close to Antartica.
It is also the only country in the world where water is private. Despite apparent economic
success, the country is one of the most unequal according to the OECD index.
It was never just 30 pesos
Last October, there was, what seemed to be, a sudden outbreak of civil unrest which started
in the capital city of Santiago and spread throughout the country over the course of one
weekend. Why? A 30 pesos (£0.03/0.04 USD) increase in the price of a metro ticket.
Students vaulted the turnstiles in metro stations, refusing to pay the fare which inspired country-wide revolt against the government. Within a week, co-ordinated fare avoidance by high school students had turned into over a million people taking to the streets to demand the resignation of the President, Sebastian Piñera.
The fare increase is often miscited as the cause of the 2019-20 Chilean protests against the
government. After all, how could such a small increase cause so much outrage?
This was certainly what the political elite were asking themselves, and one prominent
minister even suggested that workers simply got up earlier in order to avoid the peak tariff at
rush hour.
However, the minister’s comments were tone deaf to the reality of the lives of the people who were affected most by this price hike. Living in less costly areas, mainly in the outskirts of
Santiago, these workers were already getting up at 5am to arrive in the city centre for the start of the working day.
The minimum wage in Chile is £340 (443.65 USD) per month. With a cost of living not
dissimilar to some European countries, the small increase in transport fares was a devastating blow to those at the lower end of the income scale.
This increase was the final straw and is referred to as the ‘detonation effect’ for 30 years of
pent-up frustration at rampant inequality and a broken system. The right to live in peace
The subsequent outbreak of civil unrest was on such a large scale that the country was
plunged into a state of emergency.
The government’s knee jerk reaction to this sudden crisis was to enforce a curfew and deploy
the military and the national police force (the Carabineros) on to the streets, measures
reminiscent of the military dictatorship that took place between 1973 and 1990.
The number of alleged victims of human rights violations reached into their thousands within
a week, most of which were committed by the Carabineros. The allegations against the
Carabineros included incidents of torture, inhumane and degrading treatment and sexual
abuse inflicted upon Chilean citizens.
Furthermore, the national police force repeatedly and inappropriately used potentially lethal
weapons on gathered crowds, firing indiscriminately and often aiming at individual’s heads,
contrary to all police guidelines regulating the use of such weapons. (Human Rights Watch).
Within 6 weeks, the National Human Rights Institution (INDH) recorded more than 350
cases of eye trauma mainly as a result of shotgun pellets, a higher number than any to have
been recorded during any war.
Amnesty International states that the Carabineros excessively used teargas, with added
caustic acid (a chemical used to unblock drains), and fired it at hospitals, universities, homes
and even schools. There were also multiple occasions, many caught on video, of officials
attacking civilians for no apparent reason and even police in vehicles running over civilians
in the street.
Despite the prolific human rights abuses being committed against civilians, protesters still
gathered peacefully, demanding the right to “live in peace”, a popular phrase from the song
by musician Victor Jara, who was murdered during the dictatorship.
It took a month for the government to concede and for congress to call a national referendum on whether to write a new constitution in order to address the inequality being protested. The current constitution was written under military rule and acts as a straight jacket for potential social and political change.
Hunger
The next crisis to rock Chile was the Coronavirus pandemic. Many were angry that little
action appeared to have been taken to combat the outbreak of covid and cases rose
exponentially prompting one of the longest prolonged lockdowns in the world. The
government is currently facing legal action from one of Santiago’s mayors for their
mismanagement of the pandemic.
Again, people living in the outskirts of Santiago suffered the most and were left without
income overnight and began to starve.
In order to survive, people demanded to be given access to their pensions, many of whom had less than £1,000 (1,305 USD) saved over their working life due to rock-bottom salaries and high cost of living.
In a cry for help and an attempt to shine a light on the suffering of the most vulnerable, the
word “hunger” was projected on a prominent high-rise building in downtown Santiago. This
was quickly censored by unknown forces.
Access to pension funds was eventually granted in July but retrieving the money has proved
difficult for many with a lot of hoops to jump through.
Accountability
Covid stalled protests but demonstrators returned to the streets when the campaigns for each side of the referendum were launched.
On the 3rd of October 2020, nearly a year after the initial protests, a helmeted member of the national police force was caught on camera pushing a 16-year-old boy off a bridge during a protest.
The Carabineros insisted that the boy fell whilst trying to resist arrest, whilst witnesses claim
he was pushed very deliberately. Very quickly, grainy CCTV footage of dubious origin was
released which depicted the Carabineros’ version of events.
National outcry ensued and the Prosecution Service pursued the police member involved and he was arrested and named publicly as Sebastian Zamora.
Many saw this as a step forward for the people of Chile as Carabineros as it is not common
for them to be held accountable for their actions, especially during protests where there have been reports of officials wearing false name badges whilst assaulting members of the public.
It was then reported widely that the lead prosecutor, Ximena Chong, quickly received threats
and was subject to intimidation by members of the Carabineros.
The case against Zamora is on-going and he has been expelled from the Carabineros of Chile. Similarly to the US, many are calling for the police to be defunded and for the institution of the Carabineros de Chile to be dissolved completely.
Where do we go from here?
With the referendum taking place this month on October 25th, the mood in Santiago is
apprehensive given the pandemic and there is real concern that there is potential for more
violence. The two sides campaigning are the Apruebo, looking to write a new constitution and allow for change and the Rechazo, wanting to reject any proposed modifications to the current law. Reflective of the country’s vast poor-rich divide, 89% of campaign funding is spent on the Rechazo side according to the Electoral Service of Chile. Polls currently show Apruebo will win by a vast majority but there are still calls to postpone the vote due to the pandemic.
It is hoped that if a new constitution is voted for it will be one of inclusivity, equality and
solidarity since it will be written by democratic process and not by the elite minority who
have called the shots in the country for so long.
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