Deja vu for Indians
When Chileans woke up on October 20, they were under their first curfew since 1987. The cascading effect began on October 4, when the government announced a hike in the subway and bus fares. This echoes happenings in India, where people are vociferous about sky-rocketing prices and the curbing of civil rights.
Residents like Pablo Abufom of the Solidarity Movement recount to Deccan Chronicle: “High school students began organizing what they called a ‘massive evasion’, collective fare-dodging in subway stations. From October 14th, more joined their protest, and by the 17th the subway service was suspended several times during the day. By the 18th, almost the entire subway network — 136 stations, transporting approximately 2.6 million people daily — were suspended.
Masses were spontaneously protesting in the streets of the capital Santiago and several stations set ablaze. The president declared a state of emergency in the city, restricting some civil liberties like the rights to freely move and assemble,
and military units were deployed.
By the 19th, protests spread to other cities, to which the government responded with more Emergency declarations.”
What are the civil societies reacting to this matter?
Several Human Rights organizations (National Human Rights Institute, Instituto Nacional de Derechos Humanos, INDH) are offering daily reports of people injured, killed, and detained.
As of Thursday, the Association of Physicians of Universidad de Chile have confirmed 24 people killed (13 shot by armed forces), 39 severely wounded by gunshots, 23 severely wounded (hit by cars), 62 severe eye trauma, and 5,845 arrested since October 18th (the night Emergency was declared).
Forces comprised 19,461 police and military members deployed throughout Chile, as per the Ministry of Interior, National Association of Physicians, and the National Attorney Office.
Pablo Abufom, an activist for a new pension system, says: “The government’s response has been twofold: Emergency (including deployment of military and curfew, which resulted killings and illegal arrests) and an attempted “National Agreement” with conservative and centrist political parties.”
Despite these efforts, people in several cities, especially Santiago, have defied curfew and have implicitly rejected the agreement by calling for new demonstrations and continuing to march. Today a new march was called by the National Confederation of Trade Unions.
Today, people were mulling gathering downtown for a new march. It was expected to be a massive demonstration today. There has also been a call for a constituent assembly, and several neighbourhoods in Chilean capital Santiago and other cities are establishing neighbourhood assemblies to organize their safety, protests, and supplies.