Chile protests sharpen as calls for constitutional change grow
SANTIAGO - Protesters in Chile rejected President Sebastian Pinera’s political concessions as major demonstrations continued across the country demanding greater equality and constitutional changes.
Central Santiago was covered in smoke on Tuesday evening as a fire raged by the hill in Santa Lucia during unrest against social inequality and police violence. Thousands more gathered in the streets in cities across the country, from Puerto Montt in the south to Antofagasta in the north. In the coastal town of Valparaiso, demonstrators gathered to the sound of banging pots after another volatile night during which police fired tear gas. Protests erupted again on Tuesday despite Pinera’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet on Monday, as part of his moves to quell a weeklong uprising against his administration. Pinera replaced one-third of his cabinet, including Andres Chadwick, the rightwing interior minister who was heavily criticised for calling protesters “criminals” last week. Chadwick, who is Pinera’s cousin, was openly supportive of Augusto Pinochet’s regime during Chile’s dictatorship that ended in 1990.
“Chile has changed and the government, too, has to change to confront these new challenges in these new times,” Pinera said as he announced the replacement of his cabinet, which also includes the finance and labour ministers. “These measures won’t solve all our problems but they are an important first step. They reflect the firm will of our government and the strong commitment of each of us in favour of a socially more just and equitable Chile.” But the cabinet changes fell flat as new protests erupted after the announcement. What started as a demonstration against a four percent increase in Santiago’s metro rail fare earlier this month has evolved into a wider dissent against decades of growing inequality.
(Al Jazeera)