Chile has been rocked by violent protests against President Sebastian Pinera. The unrest shows the country's ruling elite are woefully out of touch with ordinary people, says DW's Emilia Rojas-Sasse.
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Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Felix
During the era of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, the slogan "we are doing fine, and tomorrow we will be doing better" (Vamos bien, mañana mejor) became a kind of profession of faith in the country's neoliberal economic system. Both the slogan and the belief in neoliberalism are apparently still popular among Chile's privileged few — a view no longer shared by ordinary Chileans. They have taken to the streets of the capital, Santiago, and other cities in droves to express their anger at the country's severe economic and social inequality. After all, many Chilean families are seriously struggling.
Within just a few days, Chile has transformed from an oasis of stability into another Latin American flashpoint. The vehemence of the protests — which have lead to violence, deaths and vandalism — have come as a shock and must be condemned. Chile's government, meanwhile, has failed to find an adequate response to the most severe unrest ever since the country returned to democracy. Last Friday, when several Santiago metro stations were already engulfed in flames, President Sebastian Pinera celebrated his grandson's birthday at a pizzeria as if everything were in order.
Apparently, Pinera had not grasped the severity of the crisis — and neither had his interior minister, who was incommunicado for hours. The decision to undo the metro ticket price hike, which had initially sparked the unrest, came too late.
As a result, the protest movement grew ever larger, with many Chileans feeling that their leaders are out of touch with ordinary folks. After a first wave of protests, for example, the Chilean economic minster recommend that citizens just get on the metro at times when tickets are cheaper.
There have been numerous such poorly judged and tone-deaf statements by Chilean decision-makers lately. Pinera on Sunday for instance described the protesters as a "mighty and unrelenting enemy" who has no respect for anyone and anything, saying that the country was now at "war." He subsequently declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew. Surprisingly, the predominately young protesters largely ignored this curfew. That is because they, unlike the older generation which experienced Pinochet's rule, are not spooked when the military is deployed to maintain public order.
Chile's deadly protests — in pictures
Anti-government protests, that have seen several deaths, are now entering a third week, with little sign of easing up. Civilians clashed with police, looted stores and endured an earthquake at the close of a huge rally.
Image: Reuters/J. Silva
Violent reaction
Protesters seek cover from riot police wielding a baton. The latest protest followed a short break in the wave of demonstrations in which several people have died, forcing the cancellation of two upcoming international summits.
Image: Reuters/J. Silva
Third week of protests
In this image, a man is dressed as the the movie character "The Joker" while brandishing a Mapuche indigenous flag. Many Chileans were on a long holiday weekend and the latest protest was relatively small compared to previous efforts.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Felix
Women join forces for peaceful march
Dressed in black, marching silently and raising one fist, around a thousand women have demanded justice for those killed during the civil unrest in Chile. Their march started off a day of demonstrations on a long weekend in the Latin American country, expanding later as tens of thousands answered social media calls to match previous protests that attracted more than a million people.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Agencia Uno
A national protest
The sight of soldiers on the streets is unsettling for many citizens of a country still haunted by memories of military rule under dictator Augusto Pinochet. Armored personnel carriers drove slowly through the streets deploying heavily-armed troops as violence worsened in the capital, Santiago, and across the country. Here, one demonstrator waves a Chilean flag as the troops spread out.
Image: Reuters/I. Alvarado
Hundreds of arrests
Although Chile is one of South America's wealthiest economies, resentment has been rising over increased living costs and the shortcomings of public services. With Santiago engulfed in rioting over several days, security forces and protesters clashed repeatedly.
Image: AFP/M. Bernetti
Widening wealth gap
The protests began over a planned hike in transport fares last week, but have turned into a movement against Chile's economic model of creeping privatization, low wages and growing inequality.
Image: AFP/M. Bernetti
State of emergency
Metro stations, buses and businesses were set ablaze as the protests began to turn violent. Soldiers were deployed on the capital's streets for the first time since the military dictatorship ended in 1990, and a state of emergency was imposed. Curfews were also put in place in several other Chilean cities.
Image: Imago-Images/Aton Chile/S. Cisternas
Cloud of violence
Although President Sebastian Pinera canceled the planned hike in subway fares, the violence has only worsened, leading to nearly a dozen deaths. Tear gas has been used against the protesters, and the army confirmed it had shot people dead while chasing looters. Meanwhile, at least three people died when supermarkets were set on fire.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Felix
Asking for the impossible?
This demonstrator is holding a sign that reads "Let's be realistic, let's ask for the impossible." After meeting with heads of the legislature and judicial system, President Pinera has pledged to seek "solutions" to "reduce excessive inequalities" in the country. Protesters, however, don't appear to placated.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Vera
Military advance
A demonstrator gestures as Chilean soldiers advance carrying their weapons, during a protest against the country's state economic model in Santiago. According to the Gini index, the most widely used international measure of inequality - for which the higher the number, the greater the inequality - Chile ranks as the most unequal country among a group of 30 of the world's wealthiest nations.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
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Protesters must channel discontent into political process
The biggest problem, however, is that there is no political force which is channeling this widespread disaffection. Many of the demands expressed by the protesters are legitimate, yet none of them can be fulfilled over night. What is needed is a fundamental reform of the health care, education and pension systems. This has been overdue for years. But neither demonstrations nor strikes, let alone violence, will make this happen. These demands will instead need to be implemented by representatives of the people, picked in free elections. That's how democracy works.
The Chilean government feels threatened and has therefore declared a state of emergency. But the country's opposition does not seem to know what to do, either. It is a disheartening situation for many people in Chile, as a political solution is desperately needed to alleviate the discontent of the Chilean populace. They have certainly had enough of hackneyed sayings like "we are doing fine, and tomorrow we will be doing better."