STATE OF EMERGENCY IN CHILE
President declares state of emergency
Police detain a demonstrator during a protest Saturday in Santiago, Chile. President Sebastian Pinera announced a state of emergency and deployed the armed forces into the streets.
SANTIAGO, Chile — Protests resumed Saturday in Santiago and spread to other cities after Chilean President Sebastian Pinera declared a state of emergency in the capital Friday night to quell demonstrations that had devolved into looting and arson targeting subway stations, banks and buses.
Far from deterred by the restrictions Mr. Pinera imposed, residents of Santiago continued clashing with police officers, who responded with tear gas.
Troops were deployed to take control of some areas where protesters were attacking metro stations and buses. The protests have spread to at least four other cities and were expected to continue Saturday night.
Several organizations were calling for a national strike Monday. The metro system, badly damaged Friday, is likely to be closed for much of the week.
The demonstrations began Friday night as a campaign by high school students, who jumped subway turnstiles to protest the second fare increase this year. But then demonstrators set fire to dozens of subway stations, several banks, buses and the headquarters of the country’s largest electricity provider, Enel. Looters stormed into pharmacies, supermarkets and other stores.
The state of emergency declared by Mr. Pinera imposes restrictions on citizens’ right to move about and assemble freely, and it gives the army authority over internal security. He said he needed to restore order after the chaos caused by protesters, whom he called “delinquents.”
As he announced the state of emergency, Mr. Pinera also said he would try to find ways to mitigate rising transportation costs. With the hike, a rush-hour subway ride now costs about $1.20.
The sight of tanks and troops in the streets was jarring for many Chileans, given the country’s 17-year military dictatorship, during which armed forces committed rampant human rights abuses.
The fare increase, which went into effect Oct. 6, unleashed fury at a time when the cost of living for lowerand middle-class families has been rising while wages have stagnated. The average monthly salary is $807, about a fifth of which is spent on transportation.
On Friday afternoon, as hundreds of people stormed into subway stations without paying, the protests spilled into the streets. Special police units barged into stations and deployed tear gas, beat up demonstrators and violently dragged people from subway cars to take them into custody.
The subway system suspended service for several lines, and by nighttime it had shut down the entire network. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were left stranded on the streets. Unable to board overflowing buses, many had to walk for hours to get home.
Officials called the demonstrators “organized vandals” and “criminals” and announced that they would enforce an internal security law that gives the state the authority to impose higher penalties for crimes.
Residents in the capital banged pots and pans throughout the city on Friday night. As people burned subway stations and set up barricades, the police appeared to have retreated.
“The people who govern the country seem to be living in a different world from the rest of us,” said Enrique Araya, 49, a lawyer, as he banged pots with his family in front of a subway station.
He added that a feeling of impotence was the protests’ true impetus: “The metro fare was just the detonator.”