Chile Forum

Ties into your post, Jessica1234, so heads up.
topic7600.html

yippy, protest season. Popcorn time.

No horse in this race at the moment. No kids. I live in lake Woebegone, where it seems officially all the kids really are above average (really, they tested them), and even if they did try to protest they would only fill about half an intersection.

Somehow I managed to make it through all of last year without encountering anything except one rather noisy but relatively peaceful protest march in Puerto Montt. I use to encounter more protest, rock throwing, tire burning, whatever, every single week in Temuco. That was all year, every year. Either the students or the Mapuche were constantly protesting something in Temuco around the universities or down town in front of the regional government. Typically resulted in 10 spectators being gassed for every rock throwing moron at the end. Avoiding the afternoon protest or march, was like checking the traffic or weather before leaving home.

My all time favourite was the Mapuche kid that got wrestled on to a bus by like 6 carbinarios to be detained, and the police forgot to lock the other door on the bus. The kids just pushed the door open and bolted dancing away from all the carbinarios. The whole crowd was cheering. Not in support, but because it was simply hilarious.

I don't get this new myth being pushed around the media (especially the international media) that protest are something new in Chile. Where the hell have these people been for like the last 40-50 years? Someone is always protesting something in Chile. Very long and old tradition. Just because they started covering it last year, does not make it new. On the national news, a protest might get a 4 second coverage unless it is really big or something is stopped.

The only thing that has really changed is the anarchist following up any protest with lots of looting and destruction. Doubt they even care or know what any particular protest is about.

I am curious to see what the participation is this year. Mom and dad got some serious bills last year related to the protest. Between things like not being able to get to work, and loosing a year worth of tuition, kids being held back, and so on.

There was also I believe serious missed opportunity for the student movement to capitalize on nation support and momentum they had built. I am not sure they are going to be able to do it again.

I was just reminded by reading in El Dia (La Serena paper) that the first student demonstrations of the year will be tomorrow (Wed. 25th). Thought I'd bump this as a reminder for those of us who only ever read the more recent entries. I'll have to remember to avoid the roundabout by the university tomorrow morning.