Piñera escalates conflict: proposes jailing those involved in occupying schools

Wednesday, October 5th 2011 - 09:29 UTC

Full article 23 comments

The five months conflict for education reform has support from 89% of Chilean

Student leaders, the opposition and several judges expressed outrage this week after Chilean President Sebastián Piñera proposed on Sunday to reform the Penal Code to impose harsher punishments on those involved in the occupation of schools and universities, newspaper La Tercera reported.

Piñera’s announcement took place only three days after the resumption of dialogue between the government and student leaders, who have held a five-month fight for free and quality education.

The bill would make some key modifications to the Penal Code so that the occupation of educational premises, looting and the interruption of traffic would be considered felonies. Students occupying schools or universities could get up to three years in jail as punishment.

Student demonstrations made Piñera popularity plummet to a record-low 22%, while students and their demands have the support of 89% of Chileans.

Student leader Giorgio Jackson said that most occupations of university buildings have been peaceful “so it makes no sense for the punishment to go from 541 days to three years in jail. It is nonsense” he said.

Categories: Politics, Latin America.

Tags: Chile, education reform, Sebastián Piñera.

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Sergio Vega
Why the journalist that wrote this article is so stupid that can put a correct headline ????
The bil passed by President Piñera is not just about the students...is for all of those masked vandals that takes private or state properties with violence and those that loot supermarket, any kind of business offices or homes with huge detriment to the community safety and economic losses.
In the other hand, all of those that want to make a protest will be safer without the cowards masked vandals that spoil the main object of the protesters and they can be authorized to march wherever they ask for.....
So, if the students don´t accept this law means that those masked vandals aren´t guys from the common criminal population but from their own followers.......don´t you thik????
Those that do nothing bad, nothing fears.......
This bill is not to escalate a conflict that is affecting to all our citiziens, by the contrary it will protect all that have resulted damaged by the vandals wherever they come from.....
Oct 05th, 2011 - 01:23 pm 0
ElaineB
You make a good point. @ 1.

I completely support the right to peaceful protest but not the few that use vehicles of protest to loot and cause criminal damage.

It is sad that the situation escalated. When I was in Santiago the protests were peaceful, effective and the students had the moral high ground. Most people seemed to support their aims, until the violence started.
Oct 05th, 2011 - 01:38 pm 0
yankeeboy
Occupying a public buildings and defacing or destroying public property should be a crime and punishable by restitution and time in jail. These weak politicians in Lat Am and EU are sickening. They need to teach the kids who get out of line that there are consequences to their actions with a good beating and charging their family for the cost incurred is a perfect way to start.
Oct 05th, 2011 - 02:22 pm 0

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