Chile suspends fare hikes amid violent metro protests
October 20, 2019
The government has issued a state of emergency and extended a curfew for the second consecutive night in Santiago. It's unclear if reversing transport fare hikes will calm violent unrest that has left three people dead.
Image: AFP/J. Torres
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Three people died in a fire at a looted supermarket in Santiago early Sunday amid violent clashes between protesters and police.
They were the first deaths in almost a week of demonstrations against a hike in public transport fares.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Saturday announced he would reverse the price increase, a day after declaring a state of emergency to quell the unrest.
"We are going to suspend the metro fare hikes," Pinera said in a televised statement. "I have heard with humility the voice of my compatriots."
A curfew was imposed overnight after protesters lit fires and looted businesses in downtown SantiagoImage: Getty Images/AFP/C. Reyes
Despite Pinera's statement and a government state of emergency, protesters continued to march through Santiago even after the announcement.
Authorities in Santiago, the capital, extended a curfew for the second night in a row after Sunday's clashes in an attempt to contain the violent demonstrations, looting and arson.
The curfew goes into effect from 7:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) and is set to end at 6:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Monday, during which time people should "be calm and all in their homes," said top security official General Javier Iturriaga.
The protests began on Monday over an increase in metro fares from the equivalent of $1.12 to $1.16 (an increase of €.02), but morphed into an expression of broader discontent at the cost of living in one of Latin America's wealthiest and most unequal nations.
What started as mass fare-dodging led by students turned into violence and vandalism in the course of the week, with fires set to metro stations and damage done to others in the capital, Santiago. About 9,400 military personnel have been deployed in a bid to keep the peace, according to the Department of Defense.
Pinera acknowledged that demonstrators had "good reasons" to protest.
"But nobody, nobody, has a right to behave with the brutal illegal violence of those who have destroyed, set fire to or damaged more than 78 stations of the Metro of Santiago," the president added.
Pinera's decision to deploy soldiers was met with criticism in a country that lived under 17 years of dictatorship under General Augusto PinochetImage: AFP/HO
Santiago's mayor, Karla Rubilar, told reporters on Sunday that two people burned to death in a fire at a store controlled by US retail chain Walmart, while a third person died in hospital.
Officials said 156 police officers and 11 civilians have been injured and more than 300 people arrested.
It was unclear if the concession on transport fares would appease protesters.
Pinera announced a state of emergency on Saturday morning and soldiers patrolled the streets for the first time since the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet ended in 1990. A curfew was imposed on Saturday night into Sunday morning.
On Friday, the Santiago Metro said it had stopped operating all six lines until at least Monday due to damage, stranding thousands of commuters.
Officials said the fare hike was necessary because of rising costs of fuel and maintenance as well as the devaluation of Chile's peso currency.
Artists After the Escape: Chile's coup, dictatorship and the path to democracy
September 11, 1973 changed the lives of many Chileans forever. A coup against President Allende brought Augusto Pinochet to power. Sixteen years later, a spectacular campaign toppled the dictator.
Image: DW/S. Spröer
Chile's September 11
September 11, 1973, changed the lives of many Chileans forever. General Augusto Pinochet, commander in chief of the Chilean army, overthrew the incumbent socialist president, Salvador Allende. The military bombarded the presidential palace "La Moneda" in the capital Santiago, arrested government supporters, leftists and Pinochet opponents.
Image: OFF/AFP/Getty Images
Salvador Allende, a people's president
The socialist president had only been in office for three years before the coup. After having nationalized companies and dispossessed great land owners, his government faced massive opposition. The US didn't approve of the socialist leader in South America either. With the help of the CIA, Washington boycotted Allende's economic policies and incited Chile's media against the government.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The president's death
President Allende committed suicide on the day of the coup, stating in his farewell speech that his commitment to Chile did not allow him to take an easy way out. The photo above shows soldiers and firefighters carrying his body from the presidential palace. Meanwhile, the Estadio Nacional stadium was used as a concentration camp: 40,000 people were detained there, thousands tortured and killed.
Image: picture-alliance/AP
A stadium as a concentration camp
Walter Ramirez, cameraman for DW's "After the Escape" feature, was also arrested. A student at the time, he was walking with a friend when soldiers arrested the two of them on September 11, 1973. His friend not only had long hair, he also had Argentinian pesos on him, which he needed to travel to his wife and son in Argentina. For days, the alleged "traitors" were kept in the national stadium.
Image: DW/S. Spröer
Shots in the changing room
Walter Ramirez and his friend were locked into a changing room with nearly 100 other men. They all needed to share two bathrooms, while bored soldiers shot at the windows. After several days, Walter and his friend were released. To this day, he doesn't know why. Could it be because his father worked for a US company? The topic is taboo in his family.
Image: DW/S. Spröer
General turned dictator: Augusto Pinochet
The head behind the coup was General Augusto Pinochet, supreme commander of the armed forces. He governed Chile from 1973 until 1990 in a dictatorial style. Political parties and leftist trade unions were forbidden. Freedom of opinion ceased to exist. Despite all this, the Pinochet regime continued to be supported by the US, as well as some politicians in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Torture, assassinations and book burnings
Chilean artists, writers and intellectuals were also persecuted. Song writer Victor Jara was arrested, tortured and shot to death in a basketball stadium in Santiago. Books written by authors regarded as bothersome were burnt on the streets. Numerous opponents of the regime were to leave Chile over the next months and years.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Antonio Skarmeta: exile in Berlin
Author and university professor Antonio Skarmeta also fled Chile in 1973. For 16 years, he lived in exile in Berlin where he wrote "Nixpassiert" (Nothing Happened) and "The Postman," two highly successful books that were adapted into film several times. Exile was a theme that would dominate his life. His story is told in the DW special feature, "After the Escape."
Image: WDR
Isabel Allende's flight from Chile
Another internationally acclaimed writer who left Chile is Isabel Allende, author of the bestseller "The House of the Spirits." In 1975, the journalist and women's rights activist fled to Venezuela. Incidentally, President Salvador Allende was not her uncle, as is often claimed, but the cousin of her father. In her novel "Paula," she describes her years in exile. She now lives in the US.
Image: VICTOR ROJAS/AFP/Getty Images
Numbered days for Pinochet
In August 1987, dictator Augusto Pinochet oversaw a military parade in honor of the 14th anniversary of his coup (picture). But his days were numbered. A national referendum on his political future was planned for October 1988. The opponents of his dictatorship mobilized all available forces. With a spectacular action, they initiated change for Chile.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A successful No campaign
In October 1988, the Chilean population decided whether or not Augusto Pinochet should run as the sole candidate during the next elections. Yes or no? A colorful campaign mobilized the masses. A majority dared to say no. It was the beginning of the end of the dictatorship.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/epa
Peaceful transition to democracy
In 1990, Pinochet handed over power to Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin (right). However, until 1998, Pinochet continued serving as supreme commander of the armed forces. Implicated in over 300 criminal charges, a final verdict wasn't reached by the International Criminal Court before Augusto Pinochet's death at the age of 91, on December 10, 2006.
Image: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile
The dictatorship's legacy in a divided society
It took a long time for Chile to deal with its former dictatorship. Democracy has by no means solved all problems. On this photo from March 2017, people demonstrate against the AFP pension system, which was privatized during the Pinochet era and still excludes many people from obtaining a pension. The dictatorship continues to haunt the country, but at least people can now demonstrate for change.