On Thursday, Protesters rallied in Santiago and around the Country afternoon as President Sebastian Pinera sent the first of a promised raft of legislation to Congress in a bid to address calls for an end to Chile’s entrenched inequality.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered for mainly peaceful demonstrations which on Thursday included dancing, some displays of nudism, carnival-type costumes, and effigies of Pinera. There were also more instances of looting at supermarkets and clashes with police.
Prosecutors said on Thursday that since Wednesday night 734 more people had been charged in connection with protests, looting and arson nationwide, with 324 taken into custody in Santiago. More than 7,000 have been charged since Saturday.
Protests that started over a hike to public transport fares boiled over on Friday into riots that have left at least 16 people dead, hundreds injured and millions of dollars’ worth of damage to businesses and infrastructure.
An online poll conducted by local company Activa Research of 2,090 people between Oct. 22-23 found 83% of respondents said they supported the goals of the demonstrators, but 72.5% said they did not support violence as a method of protest.
Pinera, a billionaire businessman, spoke to the nation on Thursday morning in a televised broadcast, saying he had heard “loud and clear” the demands of Chileans.
The president said he would send a bill to Congress later on Thursday that would overturn a recent hike in electricity rates, one of several measures he said he hopes will turn the violent demonstrations into an “opportunity” for Chile.
He said he would follow it on Friday with a bill to increase the minimum pension by 20%.
“I will keep sending projects to Congress to ... breathe life into this social agenda,” Pinera said.
Ivan Flores, president of the opposition-led chamber of representatives, said lawmakers would skip a previously-planned recess to fast-track the reforms.
Octavio Solis, 43, an unemployed security guard, said he hoped the government acted quickly.
“We’re tired of all this, the protests, the looting. It’s a disaster. This isn’t the Santiago we once knew,” Solis said as he waited in line to receive an unemployment payment.
“We need good salaries and pensions for our elderly.”
Copper miners in Chile, the world’s top producer, said the riots had mostly spared production but problems persisted with port facilities, public transport and supply chains.
Most of Chile’s private miners, including BHP Group Ltd (BHP.AX), Anglo American Plc (AAL.L) and Teck Resources Ltd (TECKb.TO), reported minimal impacts to their operations on Thursday.
Truck drivers slowed traffic to a crawl on a major route connecting Santiago to port cities on Thursday, driving slowly in solidarity with protesters.
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