At least 29 people have been arrested and six Carabineros officials have been injured during an unauthorized demonstration in downtown Santiago de Chile, where about 2,500 people gathered to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the beginning of the so-called "social outbreak," the wave of mass protests that began in October 2019 under the mandate of then-president Sebastián Piñera.
As explained by the inspector general of Carabineros, Manuel Cifuentes, in statements collected by the Chilean newspaper "La Tercera," the police operation was activated preventively starting at 10:00 hours (local time) in the esplanade of Plaza Baquedano.
The march was driven by the Classist Central of Workers, the Anticapitalist Platform Vereda Sur, and the Antifascist Popular Assembly, without the authorization of the Presidential Delegation of the Metropolitan Region. The participants' slogan was "to reclaim social, economic, political, and cultural demands that gave rise to the protests seven years ago."
The incidents were triggered when groups of hooded individuals began throwing blunt objects and Molotov cocktails at police officers. Carabineros has specified that among the 29 detainees is an individual accused of carrying and throwing an incendiary device at the agents, another suspect of robbery with violence in a commercial establishment, and a third person charged with damaging public security cameras installed on the Alameda.
Regarding the balance of injuries, the Minister of Public Security of Chile, Martín Arrau, has confirmed that six police officers were injured during the disturbances, some of them with eye injuries, as detailed by the police institution itself.
The escalation of violence has been harshly criticized by the Chilean Government. Arrau has attacked on social media against "the same violent individuals, hooded and criminals as always" who, in his opinion, return to the streets to destroy public and private property in order to "pay homage to Octoberism and violence." "While some insist on celebrating destruction, Chilean families just want to live in peace, with order, security, and progress," he has pointed out, emphasizing that they will not allow "a few to sow chaos again" and demanding that the arrested face Justice for the crimes committed.
In similar terms, the Minister of the Interior, Claudio Alvarado, has spoken, who has reiterated the position of the Executive. "We will always question violence, we will defend democracy and the rule of law," he concluded.