Thousands of students took to the streets in Santiago, Chile yesterday March 26 confronting police repression as they protested sweeping education cuts under the far-right government of José Antonio Kast.
Marching through the city center and past the presidential palace, many wearing school uniforms, students denounced proposed policies that would limit access to free university education and tighten control over student loans, measures they say threaten hard-won gains in public education.
Protesters carried signs condemning the government, with slogans linking Kast’s policies to authoritarian rule, while chanting demands to defend education as a right. For many, the demonstrations were rooted in years of struggle for free and accessible education in Chile.
“We want respect for the rights we have fought for all these years,” said student Benjamin Traslavina.
Students pointed to specific proposals, including restricting free tuition for older first-time university students, as evidence that the reforms would exclude working-class people. “My mom is turning 50 and always wanted to study,” said 18-year-old Sofia Diaz. “People should have the opportunity.”
As tensions escalated, police moved to disperse the crowds, deploying water cannons against demonstrators. Despite the force used, students held their ground, regrouping and continuing their march even as jets of water pushed through the streets.
Witnesses described scenes of students shielding each other and returning to the protest lines after being dispersed. Some clashes broke out, with a small number of protesters throwing stones, but the central message of the demonstration remained focused on defending public education.
The protests come just days after Kast took office and announced a sweeping austerity program, including a 3% budget cut across all ministries and plans to reduce public spending by billions of dollars. Demonstrators say these measures will disproportionately impact social programs, including education.
The mobilization also unfolded against a backdrop of rising living costs, with fuel prices surging due to the US-“Israeli” war on Iran after subsidy cuts, adding to public frustration.
For many of the students in the streets, the fight goes beyond a single policy. It is part of a broader struggle over access to education, economic inequality, and the direction of the country under a new right-wing government.
