Chile is witnessing massive protests and its capital city Santiago is witnessing the biggest rallies ever. The South American nation is witnessing massive protests against entrenched inequality and the growth 0f poverty in the country.
The protesters could be seen waving the national flags, banging pots that came their way and holding placards that invited others to take part in the socio-political change that was happening in the nation.
People had walked for miles to come together at the Plaza Italia. Traffic was brought to a standstill in the city of Santiago and public transport closed early ahead of the marches that took shape during the day.
The protest in Chile against the prevalent model of economic development in the country successfully managed to gather a great number of people from all across the city of Santiago. While the protests were taking place in Santiago, every other Chilean city was also experiencing massive protests.
What must be noted is that even the Santiago Governor Karla Rubilar could not help but issue an official statement on the intensity of the protests.
Rubilar said that it was indeed a historic day and that one million people who envisioned a new Chile had resorted to a peaceful march. Political commentators across the world have called the Chilean rally one of the largest single marches to have ever taken place in the country. The on-going protests in Chile are an extension of South America’s recent public protests.
Each of these different protests came out of localised reasons but all pointed towards a collective rot in the economic arrangements of their countries.
The protests in Chile had begun due to a hike in public transport fares and then they subsequently boiled down to riots, arson and looting that killed around 17 people, injured hundreds and resulted in the arrest of over 7,000 people.
The Chilean military has taken control over the city of Santiago and the entire state is now under strict curfew as a great number of soldiers are rapidly patrolling Chilean streets.
