by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
SANTIAGO, Chile – The Aysén region of Chile continues to experience unrest as local residents rebel against the government in an attempt to get better health care access, fuel subsidies, education programs and infrastructure improvements.
On Thursday, February 23, about 400 protestors in the Aysén area clashed with police when their week long blockade of the southern highways was not dismantled. Police also clashed with protestors in the capital city of Santiago on Thursday. A group of over 1,000 people, mainly students, were demonstrating in support of the Aysén cause.
In both instances, the Chilean police forces used tear gas and water cannons in dispersing the groups. As reported by the Santiago Times, the protest in Santiago was the third one this week and was markedly different; there were hardly any signs and no chanting. Instead, the group, immediately upon entering the square, began to throw rocks at the buildings and the armored police cars surrounding them.
The Aysén protest movement began last Friday when negotiations with the government broke down. The Aysén region is in southern Patagonia and is a rural area that largely subsists on the tourism industry. The cost of living in the area is disparately high in comparison to those living in urban areas. Local leaders had been in talks to get higher government investments in the area.
The uprising is led by the Social Movement for the Aysén Region (MSPRA) which is a collaboration of labor, environmental and student organizations. The week-long blockade of the highways is significantly slowing the tourism industry as well as causing reported food shortages. Residents are describing the situation as a war zone
“Tonight is a night of terror like every night, because this is turning into a war. It’s not just clashes anymore but a war where rocks fly, pellets fly, Molotov cocktails fly, buckshot flies. There are all kinds of things outside our homes,” was a statement by an unidentified resident to NTN24 News.
On Friday the protest expanded into the fishing industry as well. Roughly 200 local fishermen blockaded the North Route 9 of the Magallanese strait and access to the Punta Arenas airport. They were demonstrating their solidarity with the overall Aysén movement as well as protesting against proposed amendments to the fishing and aquaculture laws which favor “big business” over local production.
For more information, please see;
NTN24 News – Aysén Protestors Clash with Chilean Police – 24 February 2012
The Santiago Times – Chile’s Local Fishermen Add More Roadblocks in Aysén Protests– 24 February 2012
The Santiago Times – Aysén Protest Fails to Make Waves in Chile’s Capital – 23 February 2012
The Guardian – Clashes with Police in Santiago over Aysén Region – 21 February 2012
