The Chilean Uprising is an ongoing uprising against the government of Chile that began in October 2019, it is considered a part of the Latin American Spring. Triggered by anger at neoliberalism, privatisation, inequality and high cost of living. It has been considered the worst case of civil unrest in Chile since the fall of Pinochet.
Background
Following the fall of the Pinochet Dictatorship, Chile has enjoyed a stable period of liberal democracy (with the exception of the Mapuche Uprising). However, the neoliberal economic policies of the government and leftist culture leftover from the Allende years and resistance movements has created an angry working class. After an increase in the cost of the Santiago Metro's subway fare, protests began.
Events
The protests began in Santiago on the 14th of October as a coordinated fare evasion campaign by high school students which led to spontaneous takeovers of the city's main train stations and open confrontations with the police. The situation escalated On the 18th of October, the situation escalated as a group of people began vandalizing city's infrastructure; seizing, vandalizing, and burning down many stations of the Santiago Metro network and disabling them with extensive infrastructure damage, and for a time causing the cessation of the network in its entirety. 81 stations have sustained major damage, including 17 burned down. This led to a state of emergency and curfew being declared in Santiago, with the military deployed to calm down protests.
In the following days, the uprising has expanded to other cities and towns, this escalated into a decentralised revolt which saw the burning of buses and supermarkets, lootings and attacks on police. On the 6th of January 2020, university exams were canceled and students blocked access to test sites and burnt exam papers. Information about the unrest is constantly changing, and dozens of people have died and been sexually abused by police. The uprising is currently on hold due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Results
The uprising has led to promises for reform a new referendum on the Chilean constitution.