Clashes in Chile as workers stage 48-hour strike

Clashes in Chile as workers stage 48-hour strike

www.bbc.co.uk

Chile is set for the second day of a 48-hour national strike called by the main trade unions who are demanding a raft of reforms.

Wednesday's stoppage began peacefully but violent clashes erupted after some demonstrators erected burning barricades and threw stones.

Officials said 348 people were arrested and dozens injured.

The stoppage comes amid ongoing student protests to press for education reform.

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While we have flood of earthquake and Elenin threads some threads like civil strikes and unrest go unnoticed. I think we should pay more attention and show support to those who fight for their rights and better world rather then live in fear.

According to union leaders about 600,000 people joined the demonstrations across the country. Of course some other media sources claim that this number is smaller.

Its nice to see unions, government workers,opposition parties and students united in this cause. Unfortunately in some countries they are divided in groups and each group fights only for its own rights.

Demonstrations in Chile started few months ago when high school and university students demanded better education. Since then it grew into much bigger demonstrations and now many other changes are demanded from government. Government states that those changes would cost too much so that they are not possible. Sounds familiar to anyone?

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thanks for posting a thread about this. I am sorry I am the first person to pay much attention to it.

The protests gripping Chile are some of the largest since the Pinochet dictatorship. A host of social issues are coming to a head. Education being the catalyst at the moment. Issues of class warfare, copper profit distribution, labor rights, native Mapuche rights, and unfair tax systems have led to the formation of a wide coalition of protesters.

Yesterday saw violent protests across the country. A crowd of several hundred thousand marched from three separate starting points to Los Heroes in the center of Santiago. The crowd was peaceful with people of all ages, classes, races, and creeds. I saw dancing, singing, and many other creative means of protest.

In Chile it is necessary to have a government permit to march. The permit lasted until 2:00 in the afternoon. A large crowd of ten to fifteen thousand refused to leave. Anarchists in the crowd began to pelt the riot lines with paint bombs, bottles, rocks, and other projectiles. Eventually, the police had enough.

Here is some video I took of what happened over the next minutes..












The crowd fled down the main avenue for several miles. Stop lights, signposts, benches, and store fronts were destroyed. Dozens of small battles between groups of protesters and police broke out across the center of the city.

Similar events occurred in other cities across the country. I do no know how long the government will allow protests of this magnitude to go on. Today I had some intense conversations with various older people. There is a real fear that the military may step in soon. If that were to happen the dictatorship would be restored in a meaningful way.

Chile is a model of neo-liberal success. It is hailed as the stablest country in the region. Major unrest here could have major impact on the region in the same way Egypt did for the Middle East. The next month will be very important in deciding the future course of the country.

Well i can't say i am sad seeing anarchists attacking the police but i am in favor for peaceful protests. People around the world had enough of their governments and this system so i am always interested to hear what is happening outside my country.

Thank you very much for sharing and i hope more people will pay attention to social issues like this.

reply to post by dario86


The violent outbursts against police are like steam released from a valve. Societies injustices slowly simmer until they explode. A brief outburst with no direction usually follows. The state may briefly lose control, but rarely does the outburst have lasting impact.

If your going to fight in the streets you must organize. Peaceful civil disobedience is the best way. Make the police initiate force. If the whole society sees the peaceful attacked the public will begin to turn from supporting that state. If that is unsuccessful organized social disorder achieves far more than flashes of angry destruction.

The anarchists across the globe seem willing to waste effort on useless street battles with automaton police forces. If anarchists simply planned they could actually channel that energy into a meaningful act. One act of symbolic import is far greater than a hundred battles with police.

Here are a couple pictures of the protests, and their aftermath.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d83c2e6b8fb4.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/be4567e2246e.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ec859533ed59.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c24e5ea1086e.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/57a28166bb44.jpg[/atsimg]