50 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
50 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
The **Chilean Uprising** is an ongoing uprising against the government
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of [Chile](Chile "wikilink") that began in [October
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2019](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_South_America "wikilink"), it
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is considered a part of the [Latin American
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Spring](Latin_American_Spring "wikilink"). Triggered by anger at
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[neoliberalism](neoliberalism "wikilink"), privatisation,
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[inequality](Economic_Inequality "wikilink") and high cost of living. It
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has been considered the worst case of civil unrest in Chile since the
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fall of Pinochet.
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## Background
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Following the fall of the [Pinochet
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Dictatorship](Pinochet_Dictatorship "wikilink"), Chile has enjoyed a
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stable period of [liberal
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democracy](Representative_Democracy "wikilink") (with the exception of
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the [Mapuche Uprising](Mapuche_Uprising_\(1997\) "wikilink")). However,
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the neoliberal economic policies of the government and leftist culture
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leftover from the Allende years and resistance movements has created an
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angry working class. After an increase in the cost of the Santiago
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Metro's subway fare, protests began.
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## Events
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The protests began in Santiago on the 14th of October as a coordinated
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fare evasion campaign by high school students which led to spontaneous
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takeovers of the city's main train stations and open confrontations with
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the police. The situation escalated On the 18th of October, the
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situation escalated as a group of people began vandalizing city's
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infrastructure; seizing, vandalizing, and burning down many stations of
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the Santiago Metro network and disabling them with extensive
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infrastructure damage, and for a time causing the cessation of the
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network in its entirety. 81 stations have sustained major damage,
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including 17 burned down. This led to a state of emergency and curfew
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being declared in Santiago, with the military deployed to calm down
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protests.
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In the following days, the uprising has expanded to other cities and
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towns, this escalated into a decentralised revolt which saw the burning
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of buses and supermarkets, lootings and attacks on police. On the 6th of
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January 2020, university exams were canceled and students blocked access
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to test sites and burnt exam papers. Information about the unrest is
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constantly changing, and dozens of people have died and been sexually
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abused by police. The uprising is currently on hold due to the
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[Coronavirus Pandemic](Coronavirus_Pandemic_\(2019_-_2020\) "wikilink").
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## Results
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The uprising has led to promises for reform a new referendum on the
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Chilean constitution. |