Soldiers, police and demonstrators clash in Chilean capital
Buses went up in flames and soldiers in armored personnel carriers confronted demonstrators in Chile's capital of Santiago on Saturday (October 19) as violent protests showed little sign of slowing.
Burning barricades of tires and logs were set up along several main roads, a supermarket was set on fire and police fired tear gas and used water cannon on demonstrators throwing rocks and projectiles in "many locations," a police spokesman said.
Children and elderly people came out in cities around the country, local media said, banging cooking pots and honking car horns in solidarity with the demonstrations, which started on October 7 over recent fare hikes on public transportation and have expanded amid generalized frustration over the high cost of living in one of Latin America's most developed economies.
Center-right President Sebastian Pinera announced a state of emergency in Santiago and its surroundings early on Saturday morning something not seen in the capital since shortly before the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in 1990.
The decision to deploy the armed forces was met with widespread shock in a nation that lived under a military dictatorship for 17 years.
Pinera met ministers and ruling coalition mayors for crisis talks on Saturday afternoon but opposition leaders stayed away, calling instead for the president to remove troops from the streets and reverse the public transport cost hike.
Prosecutors said 179 people had been charged, 49 of them minors. Police told Reuters that on Friday alone, 156 police officers were injured, including five seriously. Forty-nine police cars were damaged and 41 metro stations vandalized.
Karla Rubilar, the regional governor of Santiago said by Saturday afternoon five buses had also been burned. City authorities confirmed schools would be shut on Monday and Tuesday.
Sporting and cultural events have been canceled for the weekend, the metro network remains closed and foreign embassies have updated their security advisories for expatriates and visitors, urging them to avoid crowds and carry identification.
(Source: Reuters)
Barbados officially announces recognition of Palestine as state
Mexico asks UN to expel Equador following embassy raid
Nicaragua closes embassy in Berlin after suing Germany over Gaza genocide
The struggles of Occupied Palestine
Ayatollah Khamenei exalts great Persian poet on Saadi Day
Iran’s Civil Defense examines country’s preparation for potential threats
FBI chief: Chinese hackers targeting critical US infrastructure
New York Times leaked memo on Gaza coverage reveals obfuscation of facts
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Barbados officially announces recognition of Palestine as state
US Senate reauthorizes surveillance bill despite privacy concerns
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
