Spanish – New protests are once again plunging Chile into chaos for reasons that go beyond reforming the Constitution. Now the radical groups of the Chilean left are aiming directly at the removal of President Sebastián Piñera.
The call was made in the Alameda, the main avenue of the Chilean capital, and, like most of the mobilizations led by these groups, it ended with confrontations, obstruction of streets, and attacks on police stations.
A total of 46 people were arrested in 34 violent incidents that included burning a bus and looting, said Deputy Interior Secretary Juan Francisco Galli, as reported by the Associated Press.
The official said that about 400 people took the streets of downtown Santiago to generate public disorder.
With this insistence, these extremist groups are reiterating their intention to deepen the fracture of the Chilean political system, attacking the government, the Carabineros, and its Magna Carta with merely ideological purposes.
The real objective
“This does not end with the plebiscite until the system of the rich falls,” the coordinating Assembly of Secondary Students (ACES) published on the day of the referendum. On Election Day, the process of drafting a new constitution was finally approved.
To back up the words of this and other groups, opposition parliamentarians recently asked Piñera for the post through a bill that seeks to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections in April 2021 even though they are scheduled for November of next year.
“In a presidential system like the one we have, it is completely inappropriate to propose early elections. It would amount to a constitutional crisis in any country in the world,” explained constitutionalist lawyer Javier Couso, according to El Libero.
The event began Sunday night after Piñera announced – using his powers – that he would resort to the Constitutional Court to stop the bill on the second withdrawal of pension funds.
The President explained, through a statement, that the bill is unconstitutional since it involves matters exclusive to the presidency, such as public spending, social security, and taxes.
The alleged social outburst
The violent protests of 2019 marked a stark before and after in the South American nation after a group of indoctrinated youth destroyed more than 80 Metro stations in Santiago, Chile, and laid the groundwork for the threat of the left that remains latent.
Thus, the supposed social explosion that arose in the face of “inequalities” actually caused destruction, loss of employment, and damage to public and private property.
According to the CEP (Center for Public Studies) survey, 70% of Chileans did not attend the marches. Meanwhile, 72% of the Chilean population defines itself as “apolitical” or independent.
There was talk of “human rights violations” that never happened, and then, the “front line” was glorified: made up of young people who stand up to the Carabineros for public acceptance.
Behind these protests would be extreme left-wing groups such as the International Workers’ Movement (MIT), the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Movement (MPRM), and student groups such as the Coordinating Assembly of Secondary Students (ACES).
Carabineros in the Spotlight
The Carabineros police force is also in the sights of radical movements. A few days ago, General Mario Rozas, of the Carabineros, was dismissed after a meeting between President Piñera and his ministers and the mayor, according to El Libero.
The article adds that Rozas’ dismissal did not calm the most radical wing of the left in the political arena.
Instead, figures such as the mayor of Recoleta, Daniel Jadue, called for a “profound civil intervention by the Carabineros.” Meanwhile, the ACES published a message demanding the “dissolution” of the police.
In other words, the groups that promoted last year’s protests are also promoting the take over of the police force.
The protests do not stop
Only five days after the plebiscite, the Carabineros reported 20 people detained after disturbances of public order. At that time, the protesters were demanding the release of those arrested in 2019.
By mid-November, a new mobilization was held in connection with the signing of the “Accord for Social Peace and a New Constitution.”
“We will not let go of the streets,” the 8M Feminist Coordinator published in a statement.
Meanwhile, Marcos Fauré, current spokesperson for the ACES, spoke out about the resignation of the Minister of the Interior, Victor Pérez, and warned Piñera that the protests did not end with the resignation of the official.
Furthermore, leftist groups have called for protests every Friday. After having achieved a victory in the plebiscite to change the constitution, now the excuses are varied. They call to take to the streets to demand the liberation of the detainees, they ask for the resignation of the president, they call for the general ignorance of the Chilean democratic system, and so on.
As if this were not enough, they see Peru as an example to achieve their objectives, following the demonstrations after the dismissal of Martin Vizcarra and the subsequent resignation of Manuel Merino.
“The powerful are shaking; the police are coming out to beat and kill. Chile, Peru, and the clarity that the problem does not go through one ruler or another; it is the system that must fall. A hug of struggle to the comrades in Peru, Latin America, and the world who are fighting for a dignified life,” former ACES spokesman Víctor Chanfreau said on Twitter.