MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bachelet fires riot squad chief who beat up students

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced Wednesday the firing of the head of the riot police and severely condemned the “excesses” committed by over-zealous Carabineros during the violent repression Tuesday in Santiago of protesting students.

"We will not accept condemnable acts such as those we saw yesterday" she said during a joint press conference at the presidential palace next to the head of the reporters' guild, Alejandro Guillier.

Several journalists were among those injured in police operations against students.

"We have made clear our deepest indignation with what happened to reporters, cameramen and students, exposed to excesses, abuses and deplorable and unjustifiable violence". "We want Carabineros to protect citizens and abide the law, not to beat up students".

President Bachelet who had remained silent during weeks of building up protests by high school students demanding educational reform, a slashing of various fees and charges plus free transportation, said Wednesday that her government wants dialogue.

She also confirmed the dismissal of Colonel Osvaldo Jara as commander of the special forces unit within the Carabineros, Chile's militarized national police, and responsible for the violent repression of students that had taken to the streets.

Some 600.000 high school students, more than half Chile's national enrolment, took part in Tuesday's strike and initially peaceful protests, which ended with at least 28 people injured and 730 arrested.

Chilean students have been mobilizing for several weeks demanding free public transport and a waiver of fees for the PSU or college-entrance exam and for student identification cards.

Bachelet said that student petitions are "fair and legitimate" and express "a national feeling", since "we all agree that education must be upgraded and improved".

According to strike leaders the government has already offered fee waivers and free transport for students from low income homes.

According to Santiago's media and other observers, street incidents that began to multiply around mid-afternoon Tuesday were mainly triggered by police forces, which appealed to batons and water cannons to break up peaceful marches and disperse demonstrators.

The repression extended to journalists, cameramen and photographers covering the events in downtown Santiago, several of whom were beaten by Carabineros a mere 100 meters from the presidential palace. Even the halls of Santiago's National Library, where Education Minister Martin Zilic was meeting to hold talks with delegates from student associations were filled with tear gas fired by Carabineros' special forces.

Bachelet who has been criticized for been absent from the growing conflict argued that "it didn't seem prudent, when a negotiation was in course, to have the President talking about an issue that was been strictly addressed by the Education ministry". She admitted to have been monitoring the problem all along and "as yesterday it was prudent not to talk, today was essential that I did so".

Guillier, president of the journalists association anticipated legal actions against those Carabineros responsible for the aggressions and will also be "demanding compensation for injuries suffered and equipment damage".

Carabineros Director General Jose Bernales confirmed the firing of the head of the special riot squads and emphasized that "as I promised when I took the post I will not tolerate any excess from the force or its members". However, when procedures are according to law, "I will defend my men, but in this specific case I will not defend or justify their actions", said General Bernales.