On October 18, 2019, protests erupted on the streets of Santiago, Chile. Less than 24 hours later, the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, declared a state of emergency and established a curfew, reminding residents of the days when the country was ruled by a military dictatorship (1973-1990). To date, dozens of people have been killed and thousands injured. The Chilean police have been accused of using excessive violence against the civilian population, resulting in numerous human rights investigations.
Initially led by high school students over a price increase in the subway fare, the demonstrations now involve many sectors of Chilean society. How does one explain that Chile, the most stable country in Latin America, now witnesses the most intense street protests seen in decades? Some might argue that Chile’s tumultuous 20th-century history has returned to haunt the Chilean economic elite. The protesters demand social and economic justice; they are committed to fighting inequality. They march through the streets of Santiago chanting: “It’s not about thirty pesos [the increase in the price of a subway ticket]; It is about thirty years.”
Thirty years. The rioters are, in essence, protesting against the marked social and economic inequality that, after decades of a free market economic model implemented by the “Chicago Boys” (Chilean economists who trained under Milton Friedman in the Economics Department at the University of Chicago) during the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) has wreaked havoc on the country. Thirty years after the military stepped down and held democratic elections, this economic model of neoliberalism, implemented after the CIA sponsored coup to oust Salvador Allende, the democratically elected president, created a society marred by social and economic inequalities. The economic freedom espoused by the Chicago Boys benefitted a small percentage of the population. Sebastián Piñera, for example, is a man who reaped huge profits; Forbes recently calculated that he is worth 2.8 billion dollars.
In an effort to calm investors and put an end to the protests, President Piñera agreed to cancel the 30 peso increase in the subway fare, raise the minimum wage and retirement pensions, and will allow for the possibility of rewriting the constitution. Unlike Brazil and other South American countries, Chile did not rewrite its constitution after its return to democracy. It is still ruled by the constitution written by the military during the infamously ruthless dictatorship. In April 2020, there will be a referendum to vote whether or not the country should change it.
Every Friday, the protesters gather at one of the main plazas in Santiago, Italian Square– only they have renamed it Dignity Square. Although not as intense during these summer months now, the Chilean Protests have inspired youth all across Latin America to fight for an end to the insidious legacies left by the authoritarian governments of the past: state sponsored violence, economic inequalities, and racism. The fear of other Latin American leaders is palpable. Just recently Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil, declared that Brazilians better not “dare” follow the example of Chile. It will be interesting to see if they heed his unsolicited advice.
Professor De Farias - History Department Chair