Protests in Chile

This item appears on page 20 of the December 2019 issue.

Protests over rising costs in Chile began on Oct. 6 and were ongoing at press time. Violence broke out between protesters and police, resulting in the arrests of more than 6,000 people. At least 20 people were reported to have been killed, many in fires set during looting.

The protests began over a proposed increase to public transit fees, but after that proposal was retracted, they continued, now against economic inequality. Chile has one of the highest levels of economic inequality in the Western Hemisphere.