A total of 284 people were arrested during the day of protests and gatherings on Friday to mark the anniversary of the coup d'état of 1973 in Chile, according to the report released by the Chilean authorities. The figure represents an 80% increase compared to 2025.
The Chilean Minister of Security, Martín Arrau, supervised this Saturday along with Carabineros commanders the main protest hotspots from the previous day, including Villa Francia and Cerro Navia, in the capital, Santiago.
"Crime takes any date or excuse to challenge authority, order, and security. This September 11 and on its eve, we had 34% fewer violent events nationwide and 80% more detainees than in 2025: 284 in total, including 16 foreigners and 31 minors," Arrau has published on social media.
Among the detainees, individuals were identified who were carrying molotov cocktails and pyrotechnic material. "Peacefully protesting is a right. Burning, erecting barricades, destroying, and attacking Carabineros, is not. We appreciate the enormous work and deployment of Carabineros de Chile. In our country, the law is respected and violence has consequences," he added.
Arrau has highlighted that 198 violent episodes were recorded, although "there were no injured civilians or damage to public transport." "My recognition to Carabineros de Chile for their work and commitment. We will continue firmly, facing violence and protecting the tranquility of Chilean families," he asserted.
This is the first anniversary of the coup d'état that is commemorated after the arrival of the far-right José Antonio Kast to the Chilean Presidency, after four years of the leftist Gabriel Boric's mandate.
More than 3,200 people lost their lives in the repression unleashed after the military coup of 1973, led by then Chief of the Armed Forces, Augusto Pinochet, against the socialist and democratically elected president Salvador Allende.