The president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera has declared the state of emergency in Santiago de Chile at dawn on Saturday after a shocking explosion of violence that turned the capital of the country into a devastated city and with the subway service unused during the next days. The trigger for the protests has been the increase of 30 pesos in the price of the subway tickets decreed two weeks ago, to the current 830 pesos at rush hour. The reaction of thousands and thousands of students during the week after knowing the increase in the subway fare precipitated a tension escalation in Santiago on Friday that led to protests by people of all ages and even whole families hitting their pans.
Already at night, the cacerolazos and looting multiplied in various neighborhoods of the city, where strong clashes were observed between protesters and the police (militarized police). Sebastián Piñera, Chilean president, announced at midnight his decision to militarize the city.
"I have declared a state of emergency" in the metropolitan region, said Piñera, who appointed General Javier Iturriaga del Campo as "head of national security" in the area. The measure, which extends for 15 days, involves restricting freedom of locomotion and assembly. Chilean football officials announced the suspension of all matches during the weekend.
"The objective is very simple, but very deep: to ensure public order, to ensure the tranquility of the inhabitants of Santiago, to guarantee the rights of each and every one of our compatriots who have been violated by true criminals," added the chief of the State.
Several stations in the subway network were destroyed by protesters, while a fire of proportions affected the headquarters building of Enel, the local power company, in the heart of the capital. Buses from the Santiago transport network were also burned.
"Evade, not pay, another way to fight!" Protesters shouted in the afternoon as they took control of several stations in the subway network . "Evasion" means not paying the ticket.
Piñera, who last week had defined Chile as "an oasis in Latin America," delayed showing himself at the head of the situation, but after ten o'clock he returned to the Palacio de la Moneda with a serious countenance to hold meetings with part of his ministers Piñera had been the object of harsh criticism on social networks by spreading photos in which he was seen eating pizza with his family while the city lived black hours.
"They are acts of vandalism that are executed by organized groups," said Interior Minister Andres Chadwick.
Hours earlier, Metro de Santiago had informed that the 136 stations of the network will remain closed and without service all weekend: "This measure has been taken due to the serious damage to the infrastructure and systems of the stations, which prevent counting with the minimum safety conditions for passengers and workers. "
The center-left opposition referred to the fact that "inequity" remains the big problem in Chile. Public transport - the price of the subway ticket doubled in just over a decade - is a sensitive issue in Chilean society: the social democrat Michelle Bachelet lost much of her popularity at the start of her second term due to massive protests over the system then known as "Transantiago".
Today, in the midst of the explosion of violence, a Chilean flag was burned in the center of the city, a striking fact in a country known for its strong nationalism.
The explosion of violence comes in the midst of a large social discontent in the country, whose economy has shown in recent months the lowest growth of the last 20 years. Despite its great economic performance in recent decades, the Chilean remains one of the most unequal societies in the region.
Piñera said "absolutely aware of the difficulties and shortcomings that affect many" of Chileans and called for a "cross-cutting dialogue" in the coming days so that "the most vulnerable and needy have all the help they need."
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