Statement on the social situation in Chile
In response to the Santiago Metro fare increase, protests against the measure began on Monday, October 14, 2019. High school students spearheaded the call for mass fare evasion, jumping the turnstiles to avoid paying, under the slogan "Evading is Fighting." The protests primarily focused on police action, while officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Metro authorities remained unmoved by the lack of discussion regarding the fare hike. A turning point came on Thursday when mass fare evasions occurred at various times and points throughout the Metro network. The following day, the demonstrations intensified, gaining support from diverse sectors of the population, leading to a situation of complete chaos. This prompted the Metro to suspend service indefinitely.
The government's role has been key in exacerbating the chaos. First, by criminalizing legitimate social protest against a fare increase that represents more than a 10% rise in monthly transportation expenses for over half the population; then, by making a series of statements that have only fueled social discontent: Economy Minister Juan Andrés Fontaine remarked that "someone who leaves earlier and takes the metro at 7:00 a.m. has the possibility of a lower fare," and the president of the Public Transportation Expert Panel, Juan Enrique Coeymans, said, "when tomatoes, bread, everything else goes up in price, there's no protest." Furthermore, while the streets were filled with protesters and public transportation was completely paralyzed, President Piñera was enjoying his grandson's birthday celebration at an upscale restaurant in eastern Santiago. This information, along with photos of the dinner, circulated on social media, triggering a much stronger response from the mobilized population. Of course, the Government did not provide a solution to the citizens' demands but instead implemented an aggressive measure, declaring a State of Emergency in the Metropolitan Region.
Yesterday, Santiago awoke to a gray expanse, occupied by armored vehicles and trucks filled with soldiers. However, people continued to mobilize and actively demonstrate, spreading to more districts in the Metropolitan Region and the rest of the country. This led to the implementation of a 10 p.m. curfew in the Metropolitan Region and the complete suspension of urban bus service. Even so, the population has defied the police and military forces, far exceeding the permitted curfew hours and holding large protests. This has continued throughout today (Sunday). In the Ñuñoa district of the Metropolitan Region, a massive, peaceful demonstration began at noon and extended past the curfew.
The situation has been no different throughout the country. The cities of Valparaíso, Concepción, and Coquimbo have also been affected by the State of Emergency decree and the implementation of a curfew. In the far south, Punta Arenas has been actively mobilized. In the Araucanía region, not only Indigenous people have taken to the streets, but also a large part of the population, as in all cities across Chile. The demands today are not limited to the metro fare increase, but have awakened the discontent of Chileans with all the abuses that have accumulated over time. Everything indicates that the fear of repression has disappeared, and with it, the need to demand solutions to the serious social problems affecting the population: expensive medications and healthcare services, inadequate pensions, poor quality education, lifelong student debt, excessively low wages, deficient and expensive public transportation, and rising rates for all basic household services.
Today, after seven days of protests, the government has decided to freeze the subway fare increase and establish a social forum to discuss possible solutions to the social demands. However, discontent and social unrest have erupted, demanding immediate answers. The public outcry calls for an end to these abuses now and demands the immediate termination of the State of Emergency. It's worth noting that these protests have arisen spontaneously and are not in any way linked to political party leadership.
The tally to date of the mobilizations is more than 1.600 detainees, 30 detainees tortured, 8 people dead and 15 civilians seriously injured (with trauma and gunshot wounds).
The Latin American Society of Political Economy – SEPLA, the CLACSO Working Groups Crisis and World Economy, Latin American Integration and Unity and Geopolitics, Regional Integration and World System, stand in solidarity with the broad popular movement and condemn the strong repression exercised on Chilean citizens who are legitimately demonstrating against the new neoliberal offensive in Our America.
