https://themilitant.com/2019/10/26/youth-unions-protest-government-attacks-in-chile/
Youth, unions protest government attacks in Chile
??By Roy Landersen
Vol. 83/No. 40
November 4, 2019
Student protests, which began in Chile Oct. 5 over a government 30 pesos
hike (41 cents) in public transit fares, grew into nationwide mass
demonstrations by Oct. 19, paralyzing cities from Santiago, the capital,
to Osorno, above. Placard reads: ???They took away so much that they took
away our fear.???
???The rise in the price of the metro was just the drop that led all this
to spill over,??? Constanza Uribe, 18, a university student, told the Wall
Street Journal Oct. 21. Millions face a rising cost of living along with
stagnant pay, and see Chile???s capitalist class living in ostentatious
luxury.
Saying the country is ???at war,??? President Sebasti??n Pi??era, a
Harvard-educated billionaire capitalist, announced a state of emergency
and curfew Oct. 20 even as he suspended the fare increase. He deployed
more than 10,000 troops to back police firing water cannons, rubber
bullets and tear gas trying to quell the demonstrations. Nearly 2,000
people have been arrested. Eleven people have been killed so far.
Members of Portuaria de Chile union announced they would shut down 20
ports Oct. 21 and join the demonstrations. Union workers at BHP???s
Escondida copper mine, the world???s largest, walked off the job the next
day, amid calls for a general strike.
???Something???s not right with this country and 14 year olds were the first
ones to say so,??? Patricio Tapia, president of Escondida Union No. 1,
told Bloomberg News. ???Now it???s workers??? turn to say enough is enough.???
In This Issue
Front Page Articles ???Support strikers at GM, Mack Truck, Asarco mines
???Strikers: ???All Mack Truck cares about is profits???
???Liberals drive to oust Trump built on fear of working class
???Militant, books drive advances solidarity with union battles
???Mass protests in Lebanon unite toilers in fight to bring down gov???t
???Oberlin appeals court victory by bakery in college???s smear campaign
???32,500 Chicago teachers, school workers strike for new contract
Feature Articles ???Support labor struggles, vote SWP!
Also In This Issue ???US rulers step up economic war against Cuban Revolution
???Catalonia protests hit jailing of independence leaders
???Socialist Workers Party says workers need our own party
???Protest anti-Semitic attack on German synagogue
???UK rulers seek to get around 2016 vote to get out of EU
???Anti-labor outfit attacks autoworker, miner strikes
???Youth, unions protest government attacks in Chile
???Fall Campaign to sell Militant subscriptions and books Oct. 5 - Dec. 10
(Week 2)
???Socialist Workers Party Fund Drive Oct. 5 - Dec. 10 (Week 2)
Books of the Month ???Fidel: UN support for US attack on Iraq is ???shameful
day???
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Albert Einstein
???Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.???
??? Albert Einstein
