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Tens of thousands of people gathered on Sunday in Santiago’s central Plaza Italia to commemorate one year after the start of social protests in Chile, in a mostly festive climate overshadowed by a church fire, looting, and other violent incidents. Much of the demonstration took place in a peaceful manner, but as night fell the incidents gained intensity in the vicinity of this square, the epicenter of the protests that broke out on October 18, 2019.
One church consumed by fire, and another heavily damaged was the result of violent attacks performed by groups of hooded men while on the other side of the demonstration whole families danced and celebrated. In other sectors of the capital, they attacked a police station, looted a pharmacy and there were clashes between the police and violent protesters.
In the center of the city, the small church of the Assumption – built in 1876 – was completely destroyed. When its dome fell into flames following the collapse of the structure, several protesters celebrated. Before, they had shouted “Let it fall, let it fall”. Another temple was looted and burned, firefighters controlled the flames but then it was reactivated and its bell tower burned.
From early on, the protesters – mostly young people but also families and older people – came to the Plaza Italia, renamed by protesters as “Plaza de la Dignidad”, to commemorate the day “Chile woke up”, as the protesters affirm, but also to meet again in a massive protest after months of pause due to the pandemic.
The demonstration took place a week before the historic plebiscite that will ask Chileans whether or not to change the Constitution inherited from the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, a triumph for the social movement that emerged in the streets of Chile just a year ago. Although the police were guarding the place from early on, as the number of protesters grew, they withdrew from the symbolic square, covered with posters and flags. Only at nightfall did some troops return.
Stalls selling food, water, soft drinks and all the items traditionally sold in street demonstrations, such as goggles or handkerchiefs, also encouraged this great concentration, which Several costumed characters also attended and became symbols of this year of protests, like “Tía Pikachú” or the “Running Dinosaur”.
The government of Sebastián Piñera condemned the acts of violence that occurred on Sunday. “Burning churches is an expression of brutality,” said the Minister of the Interior and Security, Víctor Pérez, noting that during the day the Santiago Metro stations and public transport buses, targets of the violent attacks last year, were protected. .
Tens of thousands of people gathered on Sunday around the Plaza Italia in Santiago, in a demonstration that took place mostly peacefully but was marred by violent incidents, including looting, when night fell. “We cannot ignore that unfortunately within that demonstration, minority groups carried out acts of violence,” said the minister when taking stock of the day at the government palace.
The minister did not give figures of protesters gathered or detainees.
The Chilean Navy issued a statement to inform that the detainees included “A member of the institution, (who) was detained by police personnel after participating in public disorder during the demonstrations” on Sunday, which he “categorically rejects.” Pérez especially condemned the fires that affected two heritage churches located in the vicinity of Plaza Italia after being attacked by groups of hooded men.
“The government is aware that violent groups are going to try to continue causing damage,” added the minister.
Earlier, a group had repainted the statue of General Baquedano that dominates the square red, as had already happened on Friday and after it was repainted by authorities. Daniel Jadue, the communist mayor of the Recoleta neighborhood, near Plaza Italia, was also shouted out. In the afternoon, groups of brave bars clashed violently in another sector of the square.
In other communes of Santiago there were some incidents. In Puente Alto, a southern Santiago neighborhood, a police station was attacked.
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