Seven Years After Chile's 2019 Unrest, Government Says No Authorized Marches Requested for Anniversary
SANTIAGO — October 18 marks seven years since the outbreak of Chile's 2019 social unrest. The government said no group had applied for an authorized march on Sunday, while Santiago regional governor Claudio Orrego warned that anyone who damages public infrastructure will be pursued.
Interior ministry official Maximo Pavez, speaking after coordination talks with metropolitan presidential delegate German Codina, said there had been 'no applications for authorized marches for Sunday' and that the government aims for the day to proceed normally. Calls to gather still circulated on social media: the ACES secondary students' assembly urged supporters to gather from 2 p.m. at an undisclosed location, the 'Great March of Chile' set a noon meeting point at Plaza Baquedano, and a workers' confederation planned a march on the Alameda near the Universidad de Chile metro station.
President Jose Antonio Kast held no official event to mark the date. He has described October 18 as 'a difficult time, with a great deal of violence,' said he hopes it never happens again, and added, 'What we are doing is rebuilding our country.' This is the first October 18 anniversary since Kast took office. The 2019 unrest began with protests over a Santiago metro fare increase before spreading nationwide. (GSM report)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 从圣克里斯托瓦尔山俯瞰圣地亚哥市区与安第斯山脉。照片：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。View of Santiago and the Andes from Cerro San Cristobal. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
