Thousands of Chilean students march demanding education reform
Thousands of young Chileans marched peacefully on Thursday in different cities demanding education reform and equal conditions and rights for all young Chileans, amid a heightened police presence.
From early morning young people began to converge to the capital Santiago in an organized fourteen communal simultaneous marches and demonstrations called by the Coordinating Assembly of Secondary Students (ACES) and supported by university students and other social organizations.
In downtown Santiago students marched towards the city’s squares, chanting slogans and carrying canvases to protest “profit-education” and demanding equal educational conditions for all Chileans.
The current Chilean education system, mostly privatized, dating back to the time of Dictator Augusto Pinochet, has become an excellent investment but also limits access to medium and low income families. OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) of which Chile is the only South American member, rates the Chilean educational system as the lowest of the group.
The demonstrations have been going on for over a year and have cornered the business oriented administration of President Sebastian Piñera, who declared that education is another resource of the economic equation, and favours the continuation of private system.
Demonstrations have led to repeated clashes with Carabineros which are accused of unnecessary violence. Last year a student was killed. Students occupying universities and high schools have been evicted with less violence but are then exposed to humiliating degrading situations forcing them to strip naked, both men and women while under arrest.
“There has been no privacy or decorum. Girls have been left with psychological scars, have been evaluated psychologically and some are under treatment”, claimed the president of the Parents and Guardians Coordinator, Dapne Concha, who asked authorities to rule on abuses committed by the police at demonstrations.
”This is an opportunity to demonstrate how better we are than the universities’ authorities, who have lately behaved in the wildest possible ways when conducting the evictions at certain schools”, said the head of the Catholic’s University Students Federation Noam Titelman.
Likewise, Titelman stated that “This is not something new as we’ve been going to Congress for the entire first semester where the Education Minister looked down at us and our proposals every single time.”
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Aug 24th, 2012 - 01:13 am
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The details of how these protesters have been treated are horrific, if this was Argentina or Venezuela the usual suspects here would be raising hell over this...“
Don't be a hypocrite... the worst happening is they get wet by the police trucks when they start vandalizing. In Argentina much worse things happen and they never get to ”publicity”, like for example the ouster of argentine native indigenas/indios off their homes, and being killed by police like animals, police burning their houses down, etc... You would NEVER see such thing in Chile, but in Kichners Afrintina this seems to be normal.
You are all so hypocrite...
Uncensored video footage from a policemen (who regrets his deeds and subsequently made it public)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g6LdUUsh64&feature=related
If you insist it, post the source. If you don't, you admit that you are biggest liar arround Mercopress... (it wouldn't be the first time you spread “rumors” arround)
You are extremely ignorant. Yes, Chile's educational system is the most expensive in the region, but do not look past the fact that accounting for GDP per capita, it is also the most expensive in the world.
And what you said about the worst that happens is people getting wet? I don't know if your Chilean, or maybe looking in from another country or possibly live up in Las Condes and are completely out of touch with the rest of the country, much like the president and those politicians. Last year, a student Manuel Rodriguez, died in Macul, killed in cold blood by the carabineros. During every march there are reports of abse of power and even sexual abuse at the hands of carabineros. Last week during the secondary marches, and get this straight, these are female high school students, whose ages range from 13 to 17 were forced to strip naked by police and according to reports some sexually assaulted. Have you not seeing Chile's repression of the Mapuche communities in the South? Being forced off their lands, their homes destroyed and the peoples seriously wounded. And you obviously have not seen the repression against the students and pretty much anyone who thinks differently to those governing the country at the moment. Your ignorance is humorous yet frighting. Watch the news, read the papers and possibly go down to Santiago center during the marches and let me know if you still think the same. Informate.
Bye bye Piñera, bye bye UK from Chile ;)
And what a coincidence... her personal PR assitant (Paula Chain) is married with this terrorist. Conflict of interest? nahhhh... there is seperation of powers in Argentina. LOL.
Alfredo, Chile's educational system is neither the most expensive of the world. Check out what you pay for example in US or other North American/European and even Asian universities. Way higher.
And the boy that died, it was revealed as a very tragic accident, nobody wanted to “kill” this guy, which was not even involved in the protest (even the students want it to look like, it adds fake drama into their claims).
I support the students’ right to protest but to be fair I also think the carabinero response has been commensurate with the violence of the protesters. It is always a grey area and there are always abuses on either side. I have a brother-in-law who is a carabinero in Santiago. He has to suffer a significant amount of abuse from the encapuchdos. I have a business in the centre of town and every time there is a protest we have to shut up early and panic as how to get everyone home safely. Twice my vehicles have had the windows smashed in and once the office vandalised. Insurance doesn’t cover “industrial disputes” so that all comes out of my pocket.
You say to ManRod that he should go to the centre of Santiago to see the truth. I say to you that your luxury position is consistent with a person who suffers no economic loss from the protests; has no children in schools that are affected; and is not on the receiving end of petrol bombs.
ManRod is right to say that the students are only getting soaked with water cannon. I am sure if individual carabineros are acting with excessive force they will be delt with. If they are not then that is a problem that needs to be addressed, but it is a separate issue from the student protests.
I have a huge amount of respect for the institution of the carabineros. In 20 years they have gone from a feared institution to a widely respected one. Do you not remember the public outpouring of grief when general José Bernales died. Give them some credit.
You say:
“repression against... anyone who thinks differently to those governing the country at the moment”
Are you seriously suggesting that the carabineros act differently under this government than they did under the last?
As for the Mapuche, I am more Mapuche than most of them and I am not claiming land that is not mine.
Guzz,
Yes bye bye Piñera. Our constitution only allows one term.
You are right, the stripping of students is clearly not commensurate with the level of violence. I was actually referring to that kind of incident as an example of the abuses that takes place on either side. That is why I said: “I am sure if individual carabineros are acting with excessive force they will be dealt with”.
The police involved in the stripping incident have already been identified and I am quite sure they will be dismissed before the month is out.
As for the aims of the protests: I am sympathetic to the cause, but only if the budget is there (and at the moment it is not). It would be great if everything were free, but unfortunately everything has to be paid for sooner or later. As your country sits under a crushing mountain of debt (which doubled under Blair) you should understand why we don’t want to follow you there.
You should also note that during the last 20 years of “left” governments, not once did they deviate from the strict fiscal rules and not once did they seek to reform the education system in the way they are now so avidly doing. If you didn’t discriminate so much by political labels you would be able to see that much of the fuel being thrown on this fire (student protests) is tribal political rivalry.
Have a look at this BK:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j34Wm4p6OGU
The police, with no riot gear. At second 28 an encapuchado smashes a policeman in the face with a skateboard. The mob then set upon the fallen carabinero.
Or how about this:
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=XfAzZGmaT-U&NR=1
Just look at those “students”, puberty hits them early.
What I’m saying is, that there is police violence, but there are violent groups that infiltrate all protests making it hard for the police to do their job. However, in recent years when the police are identified abusing protesters they are speedily dealt with.
Back to the point, i am against violence from both sides. I believe carabineros have the right to respond with force when force is required. There is a fine line however between using the apporiate amount and going over the top, it just so happens that a lot of the time they do indeed go over the top and its normally against the wrong groups. Los encapuchados normally get away, while civilians and peaceful marchers face the reactions from carabineros. And its not just a bit of water. I say this from experience. I am witness and victim of excessive and unnecessary force. I understand they are just trying to do their jobs, but the way many violently conduct themselves and indiscriminately is wrong.
I feel for business owners like you, and the people who live around Santiago centro. Its unfortunate.I also feel for the Chilean economy. I think its safe to say that given the current socio cultural problems many businesses may choose not to invest in the country.
Thanks for your post. I think we both agree in our desire to see education improve and violent protests stop.
It is important to remember that, to some extent, these demands are being made because the country is richer and everyone wants a piece of the cake. This is thanks to 20 years of fiscal prudence. If we want to continue improving, the education debate must be held within that frame.
There is also a lot of exaggeration about the cost of education in Chile. For example the average private school fee (annual) in the UK is about USD 16k
Here it is USD5k, so about a third the cost, whereas professional salaries here are about the same as in the UK (finance excluded). It is certainly true that per capita we spend more and that is because so many of us opt for private education because the public schools are so bad.
Fortunately, on your last point you are wrong. Chile is still seen as a very attractive place to invest.
Saludos.
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