CHILE: The massive student protests plaguing the administration of President Sebastian Pinera continues with a march through Santiago by tens of thousands of students

Record ID: 339625

  • Title: CHILE: The massive student protests plaguing the administration of President Sebastian Pinera continues with a march through Santiago by tens of thousands of students
  • Date: 1st July 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FATHER OF STUDENT, PEDRO MARTINEZ, SAYING: "My son has other opportunities, but eighty percent of Chileans don't. That is why I'm here."
  • Embargoed: 16th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Chile, Chile
  • Country: Chile
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA538J04OID8O32WX9MORS0ZPTH
  • Story Text: Tens of thousands of students and teachers marching alongside workers' unions poured through the streets of the Chilean capital on Thursday (June 30) to demand improvements in the education sector.
    "The truth is that the spread of people is huge but we all have the same idea: that the education system is in crisis and one of the reasons why is inequality. Chile is one of the most unequal countries in the world, and today we need to find a solution to that root problem. Obviously education is the key that can achieve that change," said marcher Giorgio Jackson.
    Hundreds of anti-riot police stood on guard but most of the protesters walked on with a festive air, dancing and dressed in costumes.
    Police said 80,000 people joined the march while its organizers said there were over 200,000 people present.
    Some masked protesters attempted to ransack nearby stores and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas and high-pressure water.
    One individual was seen throwing a Molotov cocktail bomb at a police truck.
    This demonstration is just one in a series of protests to demand lower university fees and cheaper bus passes from the center-right government led by President Sebastian Pinera.
    "My son has other opportunities, but eighty percent of Chileans don't. That is why I'm here," said marcher Pedro Martinez.
    It is all piling fresh pressure on the embattled administration.
    Pinera's approval rating hit a new low of 36 percent in May - a survey by pollster Adimark GfK showed this month - punished for his government's approval of a controversial hydro electric project.
    The national government has proposed a $75 million injection into universities but has not responded to some key demands of the protesters.
    Some analysts have suggested that the large-scale protests are filling the vacuum of a weak institutional opposition after Chile's center-left lost last year's presidential election.
    But it is not the first time for student protests to plague the South American country, where students must pay towards their state education.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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