The more things change, the more they stay the same

And so, last night, Santiago was once again the scene of the police teargassing and watercannoning demonstrators in Plaza Italia and the city centre. This is a regular occurence in Chile, where it seems that most large-scale public protests seem to end with rocks thrown, heads broken and cells full. I wasn´t there last night but I´ve seen this kind of thing before, the first time being in the World Cup last year when football fans smashed up Plaza Italia following Chilean victories before again smashing up Plaza Italia following Chilean defeats. I found it Warner Brothers-esque, the way that things went round in a circle and repeated themselves. The fans overindulge and get rowdy, the police presence increases, the fans get more boisterous, the police attack, the fans run off and order is restored. Then the process started again a couple of days later. The whole thing reminded me of Wile E. Coyote and his forever backfiring attempts to catch Roadrunner.

But yesterday´s protestations and clashes were focussed on a more serious and contentious issue: the government approval of the Hydroaysén project in Patagonia in the south of Chile that will have a huge environmental impact. This will see the construction of five hydro-electric plants in some of the most pristine natural land in the country. Many opponents of the project argue that it is not necessary as the time it would take to construct the plant could be chanelled into developing alternative sources of energy. There is also the environmental impact and the potential harm likely to be caused to this region famed for its beautiful wilderness and to the communities that live there. For its part, the governent argues that by the year 2020 the project will generate around 20% of the country´s energy supply and is an important part of Chile´s future progress.

So public anger was manifested last night not only through clashes in Santiago, but also in Valparaiso and Concepción. The concept of public protest is strong in Chile, perhaps owing to the years of suppresion endured under the dictatorship that prohibited this basic right. Yet why does it so often seem to end in chaos? Is it due to, as the authorities would claim, an element of trouble-makers whose primary goal is to cause conflict and disturbance? That was clearly the case during the alcohol-fuelled World Cup disturbances, yet when it comes to serious political issues and people feeling their views are not taken into account, does it become acceptable to turn to more extreme measures of protest? And what role do the police, los carabineros, play in all of this?

Chile´s carabineros have a decent reputation by the standards of Latin American policing, probably due to military training and better salaries than in other countries that results in less corruption. But there is something unsettling about the green military uniforms and guns used by all law enforcement and it is perfectly normal to see heavily armoured police at low-key public events. It strikes me as strange that a country with such a turbulent and traumatic history under a military dictatorship still entrusts its law enforcement to military figures and there´s no denying that los carabineros look more like soldiers than police. Could it therefore be that their mere presence is enough to incite empassioned crowds?

As well as the guns, shields and helmets, there are the brutal looking vehicles, which wouldn´t seem out of place in a Mad Max film. Dark green armour-plated buses are stationed close to demonstrations or in busy late-night areas, a show of force but also an act of provocation. Then there are the famous ´guanacos´, named after the llama-like spitting animals of the Andes, with their powerful water cannons and eternal presence at public events. These machines hark of a totalitarian state and evoke a heavy sense of menace.

It is not only the image of the police force that is distasteful but also its conduct. I was in Plaza Brasil on Sunday at the Communist Party flea market (a future blog entry on its way), where locals sell old clothes or books or cakes, students promote their own comics and artwork, local musicians soundtrack the afternoon, and hordes of kids enjoy the playground. The event couldn´t be tamer and, were it not for the identity of the organisers, would be utterly ignored by the police. However, what with this being Barrio Brasil, armoured and armed carabineros wove among the families and teenagers on powerful motorbikes while a police 4x4 drove directly through the centre of the children´s play area. To say this was unnecessary would be an understatement. It would certainly never happen at a Sunday afternoon family event in upmarket and conservative Las Condes.

It is this kind of oppressive heavy-handedness that makes me suspect public disturbances such as last night´s events in Plaza Italia are not solely down to troublemakers amongst the protestors. It strikes me that the authorities are likely to provoke violence as it is this that, as in the UK, attracts the media focus and helps to diminish support for those that oppose the government. The result is lower attendances on subsequent demonstrations and the loss of public sympathy. We should remember that large parts of the Chilean, and global, media are controlled by the upper classes, those who benefit from government policies that anger the masses, and there is a high degree of collusion.  

In the meantime, there is a protest against the Hydroaysén project planned for the 21st May. I´ll be there and will blog on it, provided I don´t burn my fingers from all the molotovs I´ll be carrying.