Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
CHILE IS CURRENTLY in the midst of one of its worst crises since the end of a military dictatorship in 1990.
Yesterday, a four-year-old child was killed during the latest round of protests in the country, raising the death toll from five days of social unrest to 18.
The violence centres around anger over living costs and social inequality.
But what exactly kicked it off on last Friday, 18 October?
Public transport price hikes
Violence first broke out last Friday at protests over a now scrapped hike in metro fares as demonstrators clash with riot police in the capital of Santiago.
Earlier this month, the Chilean government increase fares to €1.05 for a journey during peak hours, blaming higher energy costs and a weaker peso, according to the BBC.
The protests quickly mushroomed into a broader outcry against social and economic woes, including a yawning gap between rich and poor, in a country normally considered one of the most stable in Latin America.
On Friday, the violence escalated into the night and several metro stations were hit with Molotov cocktails.
Nearly all the 164 metro stations were attacked and 41 are destroyed, some completely charred. The whole network was shut down.
At least 16 buses were torched. The ENEL power company building and a Banco Chile branch were set on fire.
Around midnight, President Sebastian Pinera declared a state of emergency and deployed troops into Santiago.
The following day, Saturday, hundreds of soldiers patrol Santiago for the first time since Chile returned to democracy in 1990.
The first deaths of the protests were reported on 20 October, with two women burning to death in the early hours in a blaze at a Walmart store in Santiago.
Police and soldiers used tear gas and water cannons against protesters in the capital, where nearly 10,000 troops and police being deployed.
Almost all public transport was paralysed in Santiago, with shops shuttered and flights cancelled.
Despite suspending the metro fare hike, Pinera told reporters: “We are at war against a powerful, implacable enemy.”
After widespread scenes of violence, destruction, arson and looting last week, protests became somewhat more peaceful this week, particularly in Santiago.
Government’s proposals
Having initially taken a confrontational line over the protests, Pinera has rapidly changed tack and sought cross-party support to find a solution.
Yesterday, the President announced a package of social measures aimed at stemming the deeping unrest.
He said he will increase the universal basic pension by 20%, cancel a recent 9.2% increase in electricity bills and propose a law that would see the state cover the costs of expensive medical treatment.
Pinera pledged a state subsidy to increase the minimum wage from 301,000 to 350,000 pesos ($434) a month.
Furthermore, he said the government would introduce health insurance for medications, which is among the most expensive in the region.
“I recognise this lack of vision and I apologize to my compatriots,” Pinera said in an address from the presidential palace in Santiago.
How has the public reacted to the proposals?
Despite Pinera’s proposals, thousands of Chileans yesterday flooded the streets of Santiago and other cities in a general strike, as the death toll rose to 18.
Students, professors and state workers walked off the job at the urging of the country’s largest union, ignoring the package of measures announced by the president.
In the capital Santiago, police used water cannons to disperse protesters.
Beyond the dead, another 269 people have been injured and about 1,900 have been arrested, according to the National Institute for Human Rights.
Strike organisers have issued a statement demanding that the government end the state of emergency and send troops back to their barracks.
The country’s powerful copper mine workers’ unions joined the strike movement, but the state copper company insisted that operations continued nonetheless.
Chile is the largest producer of copper in the world, much of which is sold to China.
What happens now?
While widespread strikes took place yesterday, life in the capital has been returning to normal, with three of seven metro lines open on Wednesday.
More than half of Santiago’s 136 metro stations suffered heavy damage during last week’s protests and remain guarded by soldiers.
Shops and businesses – even banks – appear to be reopening, but some Santiago-area schools were still closed as of yesterday.
LATAM, South America’s largest airline, said more than 98% of its flights to and from Santiago’s international airport took off following dozens of cancellations during days of chaos caused by the curfews.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is urging people against using the Metro in Chile for the time being.
It is also asking people to observe curfews where they are in place and avoid all demonstrations and protests.
“The best help is often close at hand so if you have problems, try talking to your local contacts, tour operator representative or hotel management,” the department has said.
Further advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs can be found here.
Includes reporting by © – AFP 2019
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
When does the political transfer window shut?
He wants to see if he can break the record for membership of most political parties, currently held by that Liebour hobo Eric Byrne. :@
Another ‘brain freeze’?
#Joe o’ Brien. The political transfer window closes when the trough runs dry.
Anyone know where i can see Alan Kelly’s Rap election video It seems to be deleted everywhere i look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Z1E_-2EmY
He’s another muppet joining a Fine Gael break away party,Lucinda has same beliefs as her previous party,no change there
He wanted to be a re-Shinner but settled with Waffle Nua!
Nocluea.
This has nothing to do with ideals…. He just thinks he has a better chance of getting elected with this new crowd
Of course not. If he was a politician with ideals he would not be jumping so far across the political spectrum. FG is closer to Fianna Fáil than RéNua is!
Man’s a joke. National politics deserves better than these self-servers who’ll stand on whatever ticket will get them the most attention.
renua is F/G reborn to ensure the voters from F/G who jump ship actually dont jump ship
“my only loyalty exists to the people of Carlow Kilkenny and to my message and my vision and that’s all.”
Good to see that young new blood running for national parliament is focusing on issues affecting the whole country, rather than the parish pump and whatever myopic ‘vision’ they claim to have… Oh wait.
McKee sounds like someone who just wants to be a TD to get the aul snout in the trough, irrespective of who he actually runs for – No loyalty to anyone but himself.
I suppose his naked ambition should be applauded, but would you waste a vote on somebody so desperate to get elected that he’ll jump on the next bandwagon to come along?
“MY only loyalty exists to the people of Carlow Kilkenny and to MY message and MY vision and that’s all.”
There are too many MYs in that sentence.
He clearly is not putting the who elected him first, if he’s willing to unceremoniously dump them only 10 months after winning his first election and go looking for RéNua voters instead.
So what does Lucinda do for her wage that is been paid by the taxpayer? The past few months all she’s been doing is setting up this new political party.. She turns up to the opening of an envelope spouting a load of crap with Eddie Hobbs in tow. If she wants to set up a new party she should resign as a TD and stop wasting taxpayers money on a job she wasn’t elected to do…
A rising star, really?
Fg, renua, ff same party same values same people
Yep, just a big arse with three cheeks.
Ruinua are just the part between the two cheeks……..
Mckee has only one interest and that is looking after himself, he made a lot of promises in the run up to Kilkenny local elections and played the side of the Anti CAS saying he was going to look for a full independent review of the scheme along with the rest of his FF cronies, needless to say as soon as he was elected he made a full u turn on the scheme, FF and FG formed a coalition in Kilkenny Co council, the man is a fraud, please don’t vote for him
Only a few years ago he was recruiting for Ógra Fianna Fáil in WIT, and defending the decision to bail out the banks. If he was ever going to leave Fianna Fáil, it would have been then when his former party systematically destroyed our country. He seemed like a nice lad personally, but if he thinks Renua is the opportunity he needs to get a seat in the Dáil – I’d suggest he was better off going independent. Renua are a laughing stock, and the last thing we need is a party of the 1930′s time-travelling to 2015 to try bring is back with them.
Renua – Same old values same old people. Just what we need another right-wing, sell your own mother party.
This is an opportunistic brat who should be avoided by all parties and voters. He tries his hand at Sinn Fein first, then Renua ! Two totally different platforms and policies, but he asks us to believe he has a vision ? Don’t ring us , we’ll ring you.
SF and Ruinua are not all that far apart really; the same vague non answers, no policies,messianic leadership,pandering on every issue that will get them coverage,no grey areas on social policy but no whip either etc.etc.
He has an ego as big as his false promises. He sees phil hogan getting silly money in Europe and has been well trained by Andrew and John. He comes out with the same old rhetoric like he learned it from a book for dummies. I’m committed to change etc. I’m committed to changing my jocks everyday but that’s doesn’t always happen. A 26 year old that thinks he’s 56. With his false husky accent. Wasted vote.
As if Irish politics was not incestuous enough, now we must endure recycled failed Fine Fall rubbish within the ReNewed old Fine Gael moral reprobates dressed up in the emperor’s discards.
Me thinks he’s watching to much house of cards
And its a fact of life he’s wasting his time
Another useless establishment politician.
Patrick McKee has no loyalty to anybody except for getting elected as a TD. Because he didn’t get nomintaion he tried to get on ticket for 2016 election with his father/grandfather’s party Sinn Fein and then when that didn’t happen he jumped shipped to Renua. Remember he joined Fianna Fail during banking gaurantee so his values are a bit skewed to say the least and is only joining Lucinda because Gerry Adams didn’t want him. He has stabbed Michael Martin in the back who was grooming him to be senator, John Coonan who actually lost his Fianna Fail seat getting him elected and Bobby Alyward who he campaigned for a mere two weeks ago. The only person who is happy about this is John McGuinness who has been trying to get him out of Fianna Fail for ages and can now ask for Martin’s head on a plate if Bobby doesn’t get elected. . McKee will steal a lot of Bobby’s vote in city. Maybe even get some of Fine Gael’s so it might help even Sinn Fein. This political cuckoo has pushed out all the other birds from the Fianna Fail nest- beware Lucinda you could be next!
He sees people like phil hogan and John mc Guinness making silly money and wants it. No point in kclr interviewing him. He has non real knowledge of specific issues and spouts out the same old rhetoric like he learned it from a book for dummies. I’m committed to change etc. I’m committed to changing my jocks every day but that doesn’t always happen like his pro mises.
Just another slimeball politician who will join any party that offers the chance for him to get his snout in the trough . The only vision he has is his bank account.
Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley forced pensioners off the road with the obscene car tax on older cars. €700 for 10 yr old cars while the “well offs” who can afford new cars get the LOW CAR TAX of €280 p.a. This means the owners of older cars are also paying for the water bills of the “well offs”. The UK parliament refused to pass that law BUT Fianna Fail did. Bye Bye Fianna Fail … good riddance.
When I see anything no matter how small make Fianna Fáil look like the dying political sewer they are it’s always a better day. The day that pathologically corrupt organisation gasps its last breath will be a truly great day for Ireland.
Another young dork getting involved in Irish politics…inevitable
Also Pat McKee is an apprentice solicitor who promised that he would not take any expenses when he took office in his election campaign? How is that going? He is vice chair of council and is on a number of sub-committees. Doesn’t he get paid for those? Or is he still refusing to take the money? Haven’t heard repeat that claim in a long time.
Maybe they are attracted by Eddie hobbs ability to make money on dodgy property deals and want a slice of the action.
DeJevua
Naked ambition pure and simple…he wants to be a TD so badly he s whoring himself around to see who will let him run as candiate in by election…ff said no..sinn fein said no…
Good job he doesn’t suffer from seasickness given the number of ships he tried to jump. He’d jump his granny! Does Independent count as a party? Independent Alliance? Will he recover his deposit? Odds?
who in their right mind would want to join SF :D
Fair play to him, one to watch for the future.
Is that you McKee?!
Any defects from F G. LO L should that defector s.
He hasn’t a chance of getting elected. That seat is unfortunately going to the ex IFA guy. Too many blue shirts in kk/ CW. Pity as I live there and would love to vote for a credible independent. And this guy will split that vote.
The former IFA guy. Wow. Well, I guess it’ll be the first ever seat won by somebody who is not even a candidate. And you live here? Really? #FacePalm
I’ve heard really good things about him. A friend of mine is friends with him. He’s really popular and apparently he got his council seat on the first count. Renua and Fianna Fáil aren’t politically very different really but Renua didn’t inflate and destroy our economy.
Lots of people voted for him because he promised a full independent review of the CAS which he later reneged on.
You’re friend lied he got in on the 9th count last may
That makes sense, I was thinking how did an practically unheard of 26 year old Fianna Fáil person get in on the first count.
What is CAS?
Central Access Scheme. Check out the Save Kilkenny website.
Any defects from F G. LO L should that defectors.
It didn’t make sense the first time around.
Best of luck to him. I can’t understand what FF were thinking going back to the Cowen era for their candidate. Lunatic decision.
So tell us Patrick – are you in favor of the Property/Bondholder tax and the water tax?
He`s not going to get elected regardless of who he represents or running as an independent either..
This just smacks of desperation.
I think it is great news that young talented politician is interested in joining Renua Ireland, a party that wants to encourage open transparent politics and be inclusive of all of society, encouraging business and ensuring the vulnerable have excellent public services
“Be inclusive of all society “? But just not the majority of the population who repeatedly voted in national referendums to legislate for the X case.
Jumping from the Frying pan into the
Fire.
have your say