The country has been shaken for two months by a deep social crisis.
Thousands of protesters clashed with police on Friday during a protest in central Santiago, AFP journalists said on the scene as the country has been rocked for two months by a deep social crisis.
Through social media, the protesters gathered as usual in Plaza Italia, the center of protest since the start of the mass citizen demonstrations against the right-wing government Sebastián Piñera. As it was a week ago, when violent clashes broke out between police and demonstrators, riot forces took control of the place in the middle of the afternoon, with plenty of troops to prevent any gathering. They dispersed the crowd with jets of water and tear gas. But after nearly two hours of fighting and after a fire broke out in a nearby cultural center, thousands of protesters finally managed to reach the center of the square, AFP journalists said.
The social protest movement that has rocked Chile since October 18 is the most serious since the return of democracy in 1990. It has left 29 dead and thousands injured. An increase in the price of the metro ticket in the capital was the detonator of this unprecedented social revolt against the government of President Sebastian Piñera. Despite the suspension of the measure, the movement has grown, fueled by resentment in the face of social inequalities.
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