Anti-hunger protests organized by people laid off during the pandemic have been violently suppressed.
Violeta Delgado was participating in a protest against food shortages related to coronavirus lockdowns in Chile when police arrived and fired a burst of tear gas.
Delgado, who was seven months pregnant, says she put her hands up to show she was unarmed, but was struck by a police vehicle and knocked to the ground.
“I couldn’t feel my legs, my friends dragged me to a nearby clinic,” she said. “We thought they were going to kill us. “
The pandemic has forced many Chileans out of work, and – with only a meagre social safety net – residents of poor neighbourhoods are living in destitution. But demonstrations over hunger have been met by violent repression, according to activists and human rights groups, who say that police have used the enforcement of quarantine orders as a pretext for a crackdown on protest.
“The situation is getting worse,” said Ana Piquer, executive director of Amnesty International Chile. “More and more people are unemployed, more people are protesting, so there is more repression. It’s a very direct relationship.
The army and police have been taking to the streets since March to impose lockdowns, in scenes reminiscent of the official reaction to last year’s wave of anti-inequality protests.
Over six months, millions of Chileans took to the streets over a range of issues, from inadequate pensions and the privatisation of healthcare and education. Protests were met with violent and sometimes deadly repression from security forces, including accusations of torture and sexual assault.
More than 30 people were killed and thousands were injured, and at least another 465 people were hit in the eye with rebel weapons.
In turn, human rights abuses have led to more unrest, with activists saying they have continued under the guise of enforcing pandemic-related orders.
Delgado did not suffer permanent injuries and her baby was unharmed, however, she filed a lawsuit with police. When asked for comment, Carabineros police denied his allegation and said there was insufficient evidence for further investigation.
But Amnesty International has documented reports of arbitrary arrests and abuses, including the indiscriminate use of tear fuel and rubber bullets against others who failed to respect curfew.
In one infamous case, a woman who sought help from the police after being raped was arrested for violating curfew.
In a separate incident a woman suffered a miscarriage after being detained by police while walking outside her house in late March.
According to the Carabinieri, 163,957 more people were detained for “crimes against public health” between March 19, the date of the start of mandatory quarantines, and August 2.
Thousands of arrests are made daily.
Piquer described a case in which an inmate threatened him through police, who told him, “We need to take you to a nearby hospital so you can catch the virus. “
“They are criminalizing protests and other people who organize in any way, adding soup kitchens,” Piquer said. “The pandemic has shown how inequalities in Chile translate into human rights violations. »
Gonzalo Carpintero, who volunteers delivering ingredients to soup kitchens in Santiago’s El Bosque neighbourhood, has taken part in a number of hunger protests despite facing teargas and “non-lethal” firearms from police.
He said the government’s measures to help vulnerable families – including care packages and a freeze in bill payments – do not provide enough support. Neighbourhood soup kitchens started as early as March but the government only began to send food relief in May.
“We protest against the lack of support. The government wants people to stay at home, but how do they expect us to survive?” he said.
Chile has one of the world’s death rates, with 58. 28 deaths per 100,000 people, higher than Brazil’s 55. 05 deaths. It has more than 400,000 cases and nearly 11,000 deaths.
Carpintero said the famine protests in El Bosque began peacefully but temporarily turned violent when police responded with force.
“You faint to ask for bread or you say hungry, and in response, they fire tear gas at you. “