[Demo] What happened in Chile in October 2019? [Latin American History]
Hi there, it's Minami.
How much do you know about the Chilean demonstrations, of which information was available on many news sites and TV programs in Japan at the time?
Many Japanese media outlets spoke of the Chilean strike with the nuance that it was a nationwide student-led demonstration, but fundamentally, it is necessary to know a little about the current political and economic situation from the background of the Chilean dictatorship.
This article will briefly discuss the above.
Table of Contents
The reason for the demonstration wasn't because transportation prices went up.
First of all, it is clear that the student movement was the catalyst for the spread of this demonstration throughout the country.
However, as noted above, this demonstration is not just a complaint about transportation price hikes. It is the result of a huge outburst of long-standing discontent among the people.
Metro's wage hikes were merely the catalyst.
In fact, Chilean incomes are, on average, lower than those of new graduates in Japan. Nevertheless, Chile is also famous for its long working hours, which are no less than in Japan.
In addition to this, problems in education, healthcare, and the pension system, as well as widening inequality, are behind the public's dissatisfaction.
The frustration with the government exploded as people demanded an increase in the minimum wage and improvements in social security.
2 Chile now has many victims.
As part of the demonstrations, a widespread action of banging pots and pans called cacerolazo (cacerolazo) was used to protest.
This peaceful protest has spread, especially on social networking sites, with many posts on Instagram and Twitter.
However, the demonstrations escalated and violent clashes broke out, resulting in many casualties.
Violent clashes broke out between police and protesters, resulting in many injuries and arrests.
Understanding the news requires thinking about the connections between the Chilean dictatorship and the current administration.
I will elaborate on this in another article, but Chile was under the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990.
The neoliberal economic policies introduced during this dictatorship are the root cause of the current disparity and inequality.
Even after the end of the Pinochet administration, many of the economic policies remained unchanged, and their effects have continued to the present day.
The intention of the President and the Chilean government is to
The Chilean government declared that it would not resign, despite international pressure.
The government may have wanted to bring the demonstrations to an early end, especially since 2019 was the host country for two major international events, APEC and COP25. (Or maybe not, we don't really know.)
However, in response to strong public outcry, President Piñera announced some reforms and showed concessions.
Some oppose the actions of Chilean citizens.
Of course, not all comments are defensive of only the citizen's side.
There is a wide range of opinions on the Internet.
Do you all think that the Chilean citizen side is “too much”?
Here is my last favorite phrase from the film about the process of British women becoming the first women in the world to win women's suffrage.
"Never surrender, never give up the fight."
ーSuffragette (未来を花束にして)
This “too much” behavior from the public's point of view may well play a role if we consider it a means to draw the world's attention to Chile's reality.
This “too much” behavior from the public's point of view may well play a role if we consider it a means to draw the world's attention to Chile's reality.
Chile's Movement Shakes the World
As reported daily, this Chilean move has affected many countries and people.
For example, a citizens' strike in New York City followed Chile's example, and demonstrations of solidarity occurred in other countries as well.
In addition, the international community had strong concerns and pressure on the Chilean government regarding human rights issues.
Finally
How was the article?
I hope this gives you a better understanding of the current situation in Chile and its background. I would like to conclude by introducing my favorite Chilean artist, Alex Anwandter's “Paco Vampiro.
Paco means policeman in Chilean Spanish, and the song is a critique of police violence.
We hope that this article will be an opportunity for you to look at the current situation in Chile and consider its history and reality.
For other articles on Chile, see byClicking here!
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