from liberacion total:
Beginning at 6:00 am on Thursday August 4, in various sectors of Santiago there were barricades in nearly 20 streets, which would start a long day of riots and clashes, which also developed in different cities in the territory of $hile.
Two demonstrations were scheduled for this day for students, both as a meeting point to have the Plaza Italia, one was at 10:30 and the other would be at 18:30. None had permission from the government for which the police had to prevent these events could move to Alameda.
Although the government had made threats to prevent previous demonstrations, these were made in the same way as in the last minute (given by the large number of people gathered) was given authorization to move forward. But this time was different and police do not even let people gather in the sector, taking advantage of dispersing immediately and check all backpacks they wanted. Santiago turning into a real “state of siege.”
It was from the start and began to produce confrontations, not as in previous occasions where riots were the end of the march. Groups of dozens of people moving through different parts of the city center and most of these groups by barricades and clashing with law enforcement with stones, lots of paint bombs and Molotov. What makes it difficult for police that they had no lxs see protesters in a single perimeter but were everywhere. The confrontations and roadblocks produced a vehicular traffic jam for several hours.
The first day of protests of the day “term” (in quotes because in reality to muchxs protests were the day) around 17:00.
In the afternoon the police plan was not very different from the morning, again with lots of gas and water with chemicals to disperse protesters Carabieneros sector in the Plaza Italia. As groups of protesters again were moving, assembling barricades and confront repression, on several occasions police were overwhelmed by encapuchadxs.
This was repeated in streets near Avenues Mall, Providencia and Vicuña Mackenna, where the cut points with barricades multiplied with the passing of minutes, from small groups to almost one hundred people. The street fighting lasted until about 24:00 local police forces could not respond to the decentralization of the protests.
The riots also occurred in several cities, including Antofagasta in the north and Concepcion in the south, clashes and barricades.
In Valparaiso also held protests and one of the events that attracted the most attention was a water cannon truck that suffered mechanical failure in the middle of the fighting took encapuchadxs moment to attack. After casting agents came to save gas. Bank branches were also stoned, also the offices of “Chilquinta” electricity company in the region, was attacked.
Cacerolazo
Following protests in the morning and the strong repression against demonstrators, students called for families to come out into the street with pots and spoons to make noise in protest against the actions of the police. After 20:00 hours, the people left their homes to make noise, on many occasions around the barricades. Listening to metal noise in many areas of Santiago that confounded even the police.
The cacerolazos were made in time of military dictatorship (1973-1990) to protest the Pinochet regime.
Looting and sabotage
Again, banks, multinationals and large businesses were the main targets. In addition, an anonymous call warning of an explosive device installed on Channel 13 which had to be evacuated until it was confirmed that it was just a false alarm.
A Public Safety booth was also attacked, near Metro Universidad Catolica. This was ripped from its place and used as part of the barricade that amount in place.
About Metro Universidad de Chile a shoe store “Hush Puppies” was looted and bank branches with their windows were smashed.
In Tarapaca street from a construction company “Peace Froimovich” tools encapuchadxs removed a barricade and threw lots of building objects.
Also in San Diego street Tarapaca with a multi-shop “Polaris” was what most captured public attention, which was burned after being looted and burned down. Where 10 companies of firefighters tried to stop the fire but it was way too late. The last time the store was The Polar imbolucrada scams thousands of customers, increasing debts to the millions and threatening people to pay but would be seized. Thus, the reaction of many people in front of the fire was of joy and even the press linked the attack as revenge for scams of the company.
Arrested and wounded
The day’s events culminated with 874 arrested nationwide, and 559 in Santiago alone. The large number of arrests plan is due to repressive police where anyone who looked “suspicious” of wanting to demonstrate were put on buses and taken to police stations. Of this total 31 were charged with disorders, damage to public property, possession of weapon and possession of incendiary material. All being on the street the next day.
It is not possible to quantify the amount of people injured, but certainly should be enough as a result of police action that handed sticks, shooting rubber bullets (not to be confused with pellets as has happened) and even threw stones at demonstrators. But surprisingly they called more attention, have little to do with abuse of police, as is the case of a student hit by a car that fled the scene on Calle Diagonal Paraguay without suffering serious injury. A woman near Vicuña Mackenna street was hit by a car releases gases. While the most serious was a man who was also hit by a car, who was seriously injured and suffered amputation of his leg after the accident.
Bastards injured
On the other hand national bastards 90 were wounded, 75 in Santiago alone. The number of wounded agents significantly increased after dark where they were attacked several times by groups of ‘hooded ones’ attacking or occasions and ran them run to the police. The bastards injuries were varied among which include cervical lesions, stones on the face and one open fracture, unfortunately on this occasion were not burned, but they were exposed nearby. Of the total wounded, 9 still remain detained in the police hospital.
Santiago…
Antofagasta…
Valparaíso…
Concepción…
Videos:
Tele 13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVByjrRs-So Chilevisión Noticias http://vimeo.com/27357722 Meganoticias http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51YKCRNfmf8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHzuFwe3IhM 24 Horas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtrBKUkBhR8
