• Q&A: The keys to violence in Chile, from idyllic economy to vulnerable society

A heritage building in the center of the Chilean capital was set on fire by hooded men on Friday, when a group of people also entered the garden of the Argentine embassy in Chile , among other disasters that occurred on the day that three weeks of protests against the Government of President Sebastián Piñera , who have left at least 20 dead.

The burning property, dating from the early twentieth century , was used as rectory and deanship of several faculties of the Pedro de Valdivia University, private , and set on fire by the work of a group of hooded men who looted the place before the ignition, Felipe Guevara, mayor (mayor) of the Metropolitan region, in which Santiago de Chile is located, told reporters.

The Carabineros (militarized police) body arrested three suspects of causing this fire, located by eye tracking by civilian agents and by videos of the University's security cameras.

The fire spread rapidly between the second and third floors of the building and the column of smoke emanating from the fire was easily visible from several points of the Chilean capital while at least twenty Volunteer Firefighters companies rushed to get to the place and Fight against the flames, which engulfed part of the building, which was previously occupied by the Chilean Olympic Committee (COCh) .

Part of its roof gave way during the work of extinction, which once deployed the numerous fire units focused on trying to keep the flames from spreading to the adjacent buildings.

The rector of the University Pedro de Valdivia, Rafael Rosell, told reporters that " it is very sad to Santiago losing their heritage" and that such an event brings "huge damage to the community."

They enter the garden of the Argentine Embassy

While that building of the Pedro de Valdivia University was on fire, another group of violent protesters jumped the bars of the Argentine embassy in Chile and caused destruction in their garden , in addition to breaking some windows throwing stones.

The violent incidents of the day continued with the sacking of the Parish of the Assumption, from where they took out banks and confessionals to mount barricades in the streets .

Other violent protesters began to be distributed in different parts of the city where they caused more excesses, including the fire of the Civil Registry of the Santiago neighborhood of Providencia, in addition to generating barricades and street fires.

These incidents occurred within the framework of a massive peaceful and festive march that was convened with the idea of ​​replicating the historic mobilization of last Friday, October 25, when 1.2 million people gathered in the central square of Italy's capital to show their discontent towards social inequalities and claim the resignation of the president of the country, Sebastián Piñera.

The protests began on October 18 in response to the rise in the price of the subway ticket, but later became a popular outcry against the Government and the unequal economic model in force in Chile.

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  • Chile
  • Sebastian Piñera
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