Student rally for free education in Chile turns violent
A large student demonstration in the Chilean capital has turned violent as police fired teargas and used water cannon to disperse the protesters.
The Wednesday protest, held on the eve of the South American football championship Copa America, was the latest in a series of student rallies demanding free education.
According to reports, the rally started as some 200,000 demonstrators, carrying a huge golden trophy with the inscription “The cup of free education,” flooded a main street in central Santiago to express dissatisfaction with the government’s inadequate educational reforms.
After marching peacefully for some blocks, the demonstration turned into running battles as clashes broke out between groups of masked protesters and the heavy contingent of riot police.
The violence has reportedly left some people wounded from both sides.
The students have also accused police of using excessive force to break up their recent demonstrations.
The students tried to use the media attention on the Copa America, which will kick off in the capital on Thursday, to draw support for their cause.
“Practically all Chile is talking about the Copa America. But this event can't be an excuse to forget about our demands,” student leader Javiera Reyes told reporters.
“On this supposedly festive occasion, we want to demonstrate that Chile's students are not satisfied with the reforms,” another demonstrator told AFP.
For years, students have been demanding greater participation in overhauling a largely privatized and highly unequal education system put in place during Chile’s late Augusto Pinochet's rule in 1973-1990.
However, since 2011, protesters have been holding mass demonstrations, calling upon Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to implement education reforms, increase the salaries of teachers, and gradually introduce free university education.
President Bachelet has recently come under pressure following her 2013 re-election with promises to undertake reforms, including free university education for the country's poor.
In Chile, public universities cost thousands of dollars per year, making higher education difficult or impossible for most people.
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