• Chile.Sebastián Piñera says that Chile "is at war" while there are already 11 dead in the protests
  • Q&A: The keys to violence in Chile, from idyllic economy to vulnerable society
  • Protests.Chile is militarized to stop violence

When a president closes Sunday night telling his citizens that the country is "at war", the logical thing is that these people immediately think about what to do and how to preserve themselves before a reality that has nothing to do with what they knew until then.

"We are at war against a powerful, relentless enemy, who does not respect anything or anyone and who is willing to use violence and crime without any limit; who is willing to burn our hospitals, the subway, the supermarkets, with the only purpose of producing the greatest possible damage, "said Sebastián Piñera after a weekend of demonstrations and violence in Chile.

But that "war" that the president mentions is questioned by many, from the presidents of the Senate and the Parliament - "it is a deep mistake" - to his predecessor in office, Michelle Bachelet, who took action after days of silence: " I urge the Government to work with all sectors of society towards solutions that help calm the situation and try to address the grievances of the population in the interest of the nation. "

The one that is today the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights got into a slippery terrain, criticism of her successor: "The use of an inflammatory rhetoric will only further aggravate the situation, and there is a risk of generate fear in the population. " A couple of hours later, Cecilia Pérez, the Government spokeswoman, who criticized the "ambiguity" of the left in the face of violence responded: "This Government strongly supports the work of our Armed Forces, of order and security. that the high commissioner has not pointed out is about the violentists and criminals who have caused so much damage to the Chileans. This is no accident, it is organized crime. "

That fear and such damage exist, because the looting of shopping centers has been extended to private homes since Sunday, and the Government reports that 1,700 people have been arrested so far. The television shows scenes of looped violence, social networks broadcast videos of true (and many false) incidents and Piñera is exhibited surrounded by military personnel. The situation is not normal, so today has been a survival Monday for many: they have woken up earlier than ever to go to work or provision. You had to find a store or supermarket that had not been looted and have had to return home early. Many fear the shortage, although the Government ensures that this danger does not exist.

The danger, in any case, is another: that of a violence that is changing shape and face. If Santiago, the zero zone of the social revolt, seems to be progressively under control, problems grow in other regions of the country. Looting in Valparaíso, cutting of bridges in Osorno and burning of supermarkets in Concepción have been some of the images of the day.

In the capital, on the other hand, hundreds of neighbors have spontaneously dedicated themselves to cleaning up the damage in the subway stations, whose line 1, the most central one, has begun to function partially. The rest are still detained, and some stations may be paralyzed for months.

Although today it has been guaranteed that nothing changes and that the country will host next month of the APEC Summit, the Climate Summit and the final of the Copa Libertadores, the Government of Piñera walks through a very narrow gorge. While Cecilia Pérez guaranteed the freedom of peaceful demonstration, those who exercised that right in Plaza Italia, in the center of the city, received jets of water and tear gas. "Police, as always, using their strength, water and gases," complained a young protester. "But we will continue to manifest peacefully."

The death toll has risen to 11 since the outbreak of serious riots last Friday due to the increase in the price of the subway ticket and the rising cost of living. This is the biggest wave of violence since the return of democracy in 1990.

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ChileSebastián Piñera says that Chile "is at war" while there are already 11 dead in the protests

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