Commemoration of the social uprising in Chile: demonstrations with the same demands
Audio 01:20
Demonstration in Santiago, Chile, October 18, 2021. AP - Luis Hidalgo
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Chile, on October 18, we commemorated the start of the social movement of October 2019. Historic demonstrations against inequalities that had sometimes turned into riot and had been harshly repressed by the police.
Two years later, the Constituent Assembly elected this year began on Monday the substantive debates on the new Constitution.
And in major cities of Chile, tens or even hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to defend the same demands as in 2019.
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With our correspondent in Santiago,
Justine Fontaine
In the middle of the afternoon, in the former premises of the Congress in the heart of the capital, the Constituent Assembly kicked off substantive debates on the new Constitution.
“
On October 18,
two years before the awakening
of a new Chile, we let our imaginations run wild to debate and think of a country in which dignity becomes a habit,
” declared its president
Elisa Loncon
, member of the indigenous Mapuche people.
►
Also to listen:
Chile: the Constituent Assembly begins its debates on the substance
Fear of a disappointing Constitution
In the streets of Santiago, tens of thousands of people gathered in the evening and to protest against social inequalities. Some fear that they will be disappointed with the new Constitution. Or they would like things to change faster, like Brian Arias, 20: “
Health hasn't improved, neither education nor pensions, that's why we protest. They (the government and the traditional political parties, editor's note) have promised us things to calm down, but the change has not yet happened.
"
With barricades, bonfires and slogans against right-wing President
Sebastian Piñera
, the rally continued into the evening.
Then the police dispersed the demonstrators with water cannons and tear gas.
# 18Oct #Chile #Protestas
Entre incidentes aislados con encapuchados violentos, miles de personas congregaron en varias ciudades de Chile para conmemorar el 2do aniversario de las protestas por mayor justicia social que impulsaron una nueva Constitución - @AFPespanol pic.twitterg.com/6oy
- Report Ya (@ReporteYa) October 19, 2021
Several businesses were ransacked on the sidelines of the demonstrations.
In almost a month, Chileans will be called to the polls for legislative elections and the first round of the presidential election.
A former student leader on the left is currently a favorite.
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