SANTIAGO (Reuters) – The one-year anniversary of the protests and riots that rocked Chile in 2019, leaving more than 30 dead, brings mixed emotions to demonstrator Diego Leppez, who lost his eye when a tear gas bomb exploded by his side.
The protests, he says, were necessary. But he regrets the violence and death. The widespread demonstrations, which began last Oct. 18, saw Chileans take to the streets to protest inequality, inadequate pensions and the country’s deeply criticized health care and education systems. They quickly boiled over into violence that wrought billions of dollars in damage to public infrastructure and private businesses.
“This date floods me with emotions,” Leppez said, recalling the deaths of some of his fellow protesters. “Anger, resentment, joy.” Small-scale protests and isolated incidents of violence resurfaced again this week in Chile, as the capital’s 6 million citizens emerge from months of confinement following the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, small groups of protesters had begun to gather at Plaza Italia, the city’s central square, ahead of the Sunday anniversary. Police, too, were patrolling the area, and had erected barricades around key city buildings. Human rights groups are also vigilant. Thousands of […]
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