La marcha más grande de Chile. Over a million people gathered in the streets of Santiago on Friday 25th October after a full week of continuous protests claiming the government to put an end to the increasing social gap in the Latin American State. The economic crisis the country is going through has become the deepest recession since the times of Augusto Pinochet back in the 1980s.
The massive social movement began after Chile’s Prime Minister Sebastián Piñera announced an increase of 30 pesos of subway tickets in the capital city, which would account for around 830 pesos (ca. 1€ or US $1.14) per journey. As protesters themselves claimed, it is not the 30 pesos that made them get to the streets: it is the 30 years of democracy during which the social gap among Chileans has increased dramatically despite the country’s great economic boom. A 4-percent increase in the prices of public transport would imply a monthly spending of approximately US $47 while the average wage would remain unchanged at around US $420 a month. The Chileans’ first response to this measure was to enter several subway stations without a ticket as a sign of protest, which eventually caused damages in the subway system, leading to its closure. The consequences of closing the subway in Santiago were palpable: the 3 million people that take the subway every day were forced to commute by other means, causing a huge collapse in the traffic of the Chilean capital city.
This measure was just the top of the iceberg, the cherry on the top. Chileans were not just protesting for the subway prices; they took the streets to protest against the government’s neoliberal policies which keep increasing economic inequalities within the population. These inequalities are the consequence of different social debts that Chilean politicians have not solved yet. First, 80% of pensioners receive less than the minimum wage. Second, the mixed healthcare system presents several shortcomings: 20% of the population has a private insurance, while the remaining 80% relies on a public healthcare system that lacks hospitals and specialists, and effective disease prevention and coverage, all this with endless waiting lists. Third, the public transport incorporated in Santiago, even before the announcement of the price rise, is one of the most expensive ones in the world in relation to the average wage. Fourth, water is said to be a common good, but in reality it is sold, bought and rented by private entrepreneurs. Fifth, although Chilean universities are considered the best-quality ones in Latin America, they are also extremely expensive, which inherently sinks society into a vicious circle of inequalities. Finally, the economic gap has increased during the last years due to corruption in the political arena and collusions between firms to fix disproportionately high prices (e.g. prescription drugs and toilet paper).
These are some of the reasons why protesters did not go home when Prime Minister Piñera withdrew the measure concerning subway prices. Instead, it was only the beginning of a series of uprisings all over the city of Santiago. Mr. Piñera’s response was to declare the state of emergency, thus allowing the military to spread throughout Santiago in an attempt not only at repressing the uprisings but also at limiting the freedom of association and the right to free movement. As protests resumed and violent scenes between civilians and the military took place in different spots of the city, the government also decided to impose a curfew, an old reminder of the Pinochet legacy. So far, the crisis has taken the lives of at least 18 people.
According to a 2018 reportreleased by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), although Chileans’ quality of life has improved notably in the last decades, a large part of the population still relies on short-term contracts and receives poor-quality training or education. This means that Chile’s economic growth has failed to be inclusive: the gap between the rich and the poor is still unimaginably abysmal.
After a week of protests tainted by violence, Mr. Piñeda received the message: he announced a package of social measures aimed at reducing economic inequalities. Its efficiency is yet to be seen.
The unrest in Chile has been echoed all over the world, especially after the multitudinous march of Friday 25th. However, it is not the only Latin American country experiencing a social change. In Ecuador, indigenous groups recently protested against a decrease in fuel subsidies following a deal between the State and the International Monetary Fund. Similarly, Argentiniansalso took the streets in protests sparked by a series of austerity policies suggested by the IMF. Protests also spread earlier this year in Haitiagainst Prime Minister Jovenel Moïse after a corruption scandal, as well as in Bolivia, where suspicions about the lack of transparency of the last election in favor of Evo Morales paved the way for a wave of protests throughout the country.
In all, Latin Americans seem to be following a similar pattern when confronted with policies aimed at fostering the economic growth of their countries without considering the inequalities that such growth will entail. It is no news that Latin American politics is a pot of corruption both for Socialist and Neoliberal leaders. Aided by international organizations and foreign countries with an interest in the resources of this continent, most Latin American states have experienced a boom during the last decade. However, in almost all these countries the boom has been followed by a stall as prices of key exports went down.
Yet this social revolution is not limited to Latin America. Rather, it seems that the entire world is being witness or participant in mass protests against the State. As a matter of fact, citizens from countries like Chile, Ecuador or Bolivia are not the only ones taking the streets against their politicians greediness. From Hong Kong to Jakarta, from Paris to Barcelona, people are setting the world on fire. The latest protests against worsening economic conditions and corruption are still taking place, respectively, in Lebanonand Iraq. With one of the highest debt ratios in the world, the Lebanese government recently decided to impose different taxes on services such as WhatsApp and goods like tobacco and gas. Similarly, in Iraq people have taken to the streets to protest against corruption, poor governance and unemployment. Yet, unlike in Lebanon, Iraqi security forces have so far killed at least 250 people only in October.
When stagnation takes over a country, its leaders often resort to rather conservative policies preventing all the parts of the population from enjoying the same rights. Stagnation brings austerity, and austerity leads to discontent. Now, tired of seeing how an entire country suffers for the benefit of the very few, citizens around the world, regardless of their religion, culture and custom, are ready to show their leaders what the unity of its people is capable of.
