Students March In Chilean Capital

Demanding Educational reforms, students, teachers and workers have marched in Santiago. One student leader has estimated strength of the protesters to about 150,000, while another has even reported 200,000.

The Confederation of Chilean Students (Confech), which represents both high school and university students, organized the march as part of a national day of action across Santiago. The United Federation of Workers (CUT) and the National Teachers’ College also lent support.

“The government said we are just 0.1 percent of Chile. Today we showed that we are a majority and that we are joining forces to demand free, quality education that is profit-free,” student leader Camila Vallejo wrote on Twitter in reference to President Sebastián Piñera’s comment that only 0.1 percent of schools supported the methods of high school protesters.

Estimates of the number attendees varied, with Chilean police putting the figure at 50,000. However, the Federation of Chilean Students (FECH) estimated 150,000 and Vallejo and the new president of the CUT, Bárbara Figueroa, said 200,000 participated.

The march was peaceful until it officially ended but quickly descended into chaos with “encapuchados”, or hooded vandals, attacking police.

Protesters throwing furniture, stones and slabs of pavement injured 13 officers, two seriously, according to Luis Valdés, the police chief in Chile’s Metropolitan Region. At the time of publication, police had reported 200 arrests.