2019–2022 Chilean protests
A series of massive demonstrations and severe riots, known in Chile as the Estallido Social (lit. social outburst),[13][14] originated in Santiago and took place in all regions of Chile, with a greater impact in the regional capitals. The protests mainly occurred between October 2019 and March 2020, in response to a raise in the Santiago Metro's subway fare, a probity crisis,[A] cost of living, university graduate unemployment,[B] privatisation,[21] and inequality prevalent in the country.[22][23][24][25]
The protests began in Chile's capital, Santiago, as a coordinated fare evasion campaign by secondary school students which led to spontaneous takeovers of the city's main train stations and open confrontations with the Carabineros de Chile (the national police force). On 18 October, the situation escalated as a group of people began vandalizing Santiago'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 closure of the network in its entirety. Eighty-one stations sustained major damage, including seventeen burned down.[26][27] On the same day, President of Chile Sebastián Piñera announced a state of emergency, authorizing the deployment of Chilean Army forces across the main regions to enforce order and prevent the destruction of public property, and invoked before the courts the Ley de Seguridad del Estado ("State Security Law") against dozens of detainees. A curfew was declared on 19 October in the Greater Santiago area.[28][29]
In the following days, protests and riots expanded to other Chilean cities, including Concepción, San Antonio, and Valparaíso.[30] Widespread looting occurred at shops and businesses. The state of emergency was extended to the Concepción Province, all of Valparaíso Region (except Easter Island and Juan Fernández Archipelago), and the cities of Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Iquique, La Serena, Rancagua, Valdivia, Osorno, and Puerto Montt. The protests have been considered the "worst civil unrest" having occurred in Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship due to the scale of damage to public infrastructure, the number of protesters, and the measures taken by the government.[31]
On 25 October 2019, over 1.2 million people took to the streets of Santiago to protest against social inequality in what was called "the biggest march of Chile."[32][33] As of 28 December 2019, 29 people had died,[34] nearly 2,500 had been injured, and 2,840 had been arrested.[33][35] Human rights organizations have received several reports of violations conducted against protesters by security forces, including eye mutilation, torture, sexual abuse, and sexual assault.[36][37][38] On 28 October 2019, President Piñera changed eight ministries of his cabinet in response to the unrest, dismissing his Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick.[39][40]
On 15 November 2019, Chile's National Congress signed an agreement to hold a national referendum that would rewrite the constitution if it were to be approved.[41] On 25 October 2020, Chileans voted 78.28 percent in favor of a new constitution, while 21.72 per cent rejected the change. Voter turnout was 51 percent. On 16 May 2021, a vote was held resulting in the election of the 155 Chileans who formed the convention which drafted the new constitution.[42][43] On November 18, Chilean security services discontinued an investigation as to the presumed involvement of Cuban and Venezuelan agents in the protests, having found no conclusive evidence.[44]
The scale of the protests was ultimately diminished with the emergence of COVID-19, which prompted the implementation of social distancing measures and government-imposed lockdowns.[45] An estimated 3.5 billion dollars and 300,000 jobs were lost due to the destruction and damage to public and private infrastructure, including the Santiago Metro, as a result of the protests and vandalism carried out mainly between October and November 2019. During the second half of 2020 and most of 2021, the demonstrations continued almost exclusively around Plaza Baquedano, where every Friday between 100 and 500 people confronted the police and vandalized the surroundings, demanding the liberation of the so-called "Prisoners of the Revolt".[46] This conduct was labeled by the government as "acts of crime that do not respond to a demonstration or social demand."[47][48][49][50][51]
On 19 December 2021, former student leader and constitutional agreement negotiator, 35-year old leftist Gabriel Boric, was elected president of Chile in the 2021 Chilean presidential election with 55.86% of the vote.[52] Under his government, on 4 September 2022, the 2022 Chilean national plebiscite was held in order to determine whether the public agreed with the text of a new Political Constitution of the Republic drawn up by the Constitutional Convention.[53] The proposed constitution was rejected by a margin of 62% to 38%, leaving the constitutional process open, and effectively putting an end to the so-called "octubrismo" (octoberism).[54][55]
History[edit]
Attempts for normalization and the "New Social Agenda"[edit]
Monday, 21 October, was the first business day after the big riots. The government insisted on working towards normalcy, by encouraging the return to work and school. The Secretary of Labor Nicolás Monckeberg rejected the idea to declare a holiday, despite the fact that he told businesses to give employees more flexible hours due to transportation issues.[104] As for schools, the government gave municipalities the freedom to decide if they would hold classes. In the metropolitan region of Santiago, 43 of the 52 communes suspended activities, in addition to a large number of private institutions. They were joined by the majority of universities and institutions of higher education.[105] Despite the fears of a possible shortage of food and fuel among citizens, due to the closure of shops, this did not occur, even though some people waited in long lines and others started hoarding.[106]
The Santiago Metro partially restarted activity on Monday the 21st, opening certain Line 1 stations with a reduced schedule.[107] In the days following, they increased the number of available stations. Beginning on the 28th, five of the seven lines opened and 53 stations opened (out of a total of 136).[108] In spite of that, low metro capacities, temporary closures of some stations, and traffic diversions due to the demonstrations created long transportation delays for citizens of Santiago, especially in the more peripheral sectors. Additionally, the use of bicycles increased because of long delays on public transportation.[109]
After five days of massive demonstrations, President Sebastián Piñera returned on the night of 22 October to address the country. During this speech, Piñera asked for forgiveness for not recognizing the issues that troubled society and announced a series of steps called the "New Social Agenda".[110] These measures incorporate a series of small and moderate changes that will address different areas of need:[111]