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Agence France-Presse

Armed with clubs and shields, the “frontline” youth of Chile’s two-month-long protest movement are seen as heroes by some – and vandals by others.
Since the civil unrest broke out on October 18, Chile has become increasingly polarised in its view of those leading the demonstrations against President Sebastian Pinera’s government.
For some, the protest movement has been the downfall of a country that was often described as a regional bastion of stability and prosperity but is now suffering from chaos inflicted by hooded anarchists and looters.

For others, the mass demonstrations are a festival of rebirth.
“We’re going to stay here until there are real solutions to the issues that have been raised since the beginning and which have made the government go crazy,” Matias, a masked 27-year-old, said from behind a metal shield.
He said he was neither an anarchist nor a thief, and not reckless or poor.
Hong Kong’s protests are part of the new great power conflict, but Chile’s are not. It’s all about the ‘rimland’
Rather, he represents the protests’ middle-class university student contingent – united by the same frustrations and resentment as their more violent peers.
“The fact that we’re on the frontline allows for peaceful demonstrations because otherwise (the police) would be there” using tear gas to disperse protesters, said Matias, who is saddled with debt after quitting veterinary studies in his fourth year.
He mixes baking soda in a bottle of water to wash his eyes against the effects of tear gas.
After nearly two months of civil unrest and clashes, 95 per cent of people in the country reject the theft and looting, according to pollster Cadem.
But surveys show that 70 to 85 per cent of people support the movement.

The youthful protest “front line” has situated itself two blocks from Plaza Italia, the historical epicentre of Chilean demonstrations, which is also the demographic border between the wealthy uptown and poor downtown.
It was where a million people from all walks of life stood together to demand an end to social and economic inequality on October 25.
Youths broke off pieces of pavements, smashed bus shelters for metal and carried glass bottles, all to be used as projectiles to throw at security forces.
Some saw their defiance as courageous, while others thought it cowardly.
“This situation has left all us Chileans perplexed,” Matias Fernandez, a sociologist and academic at Santiago’s Catholic University said.
Chile’s president condemns police ‘abuses and crimes’ after month of violent civil unrest
Attacks by masked protesters on police have a particular resonance in Chile, where leftist groups clashed with military dictator Augusto Pinochet’s security forces from 1973 to 1990, a period that has helped “romanticise” violent resistance of tyranny in the country.
“However, the violence the country has seen since October 18 is unprecedented in democracy,” said Fernandez.
At the start of the protests, rioters used broken road signs, doors and pieces of chairs looted from restaurants as weapons, but the “front line” has since improved on the equipment its members use.
In particular, they now wear goggles to protect against the rubber pellets fired by police, which have caused 350 serious eye injuries.


Andres Ramirez, a 52-year-old Uber driver, said “there are people taking advantage of the hoodies to commit their misdemeanours”.
Yet he still supports the street movement and blames “criminals” for theft and destruction.
“They’re not the citizens who want the country to change for the better,” he said.
The violence is incomprehensible to many, particularly since it was sparked by a modest hike in metro fares in a democracy often lauded as the richest in South America.
According to Fernandez, this is “a generation of youngsters who didn’t grow up under the dictatorship” and democracy is something they take for granted.
These “children of democracy don’t feel that this system full of flaws and injustice that they live in is something they should give thanks for.
“For youngsters, having regular elections is an unquestionable fact, like having air to breathe.”


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Are Chile’s frontline protesters heroes or vandals?

A demonstrator wearing a helmet runs with a makeshift shield during a protest in Santiago. Photo: AFP

Demonstrator throws a rock at a riot police vehicle during a protest against Chile's government, in Santiago, Chile December 10, 2019. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares

Demonstrators use makeshift shields during a protest against the government in Santiago on November 14, 2019. - Armed with makeshift shields and sticks, angry "front line" youngsters are "heroes" for some and "vandals" for others. (Photo by Martin BERNETTI / AFP)

Hong Kong’s protests are part of the new great power conflict, but Chile’s are not. It’s all about the ‘rimland’

Anti-government protesters wave American flags during their rally at Chater Garden in Central on October 26. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

epa07963491 A demonstrator stands in front of a fire during protests against the Government of Sebastian Pinera, at Plaza Italia in Santiago, Chile, 31 October 2019. Ongoing anti-government protests were sparked early in the month after the government announced a price rise in metro tickets. EPA-EFE/ALBERTO VALDES

Chile’s president condemns police ‘abuses and crimes’ after month of violent civil unrest

Riot police officers detain Camila Miranda after she was shot with six rubber bullets, four of which pierced her skin during a protest in Santiago. Photo: Reuters

Felipe Berrios, who claims he was injured in his eye by a riot police officer, receives first aid during a protest in Santiago, Chile November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado SEARCH "CHILE HUMAN-RIGHTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Police clash with demonstrators during a protest against Chile's government in Santiago, Chile, November 14, 2019. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

TOPSHOT - Demonstrators aim laser pointers to riot police during a protest against the government in Santiago on November 15, 2019. - Chile announced Friday it will stage a referendum to replace the country's dictatorship-era constitution -- a key demand of protesters after nearly a month of sometimes violent civil unrest. (Photo by CLAUDIO REYES / AFP)

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Armed with makeshift shields and sticks, angry frontline youngsters are heroes for some and vandals for others



Since the civil unrest broke out on October 18, Chile has become increasingly polarised in its view of those leading the demonstrations against President Sebastian Pinera’s government.


Are Chile’s frontline protesters heroes or vandals?

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Armed with makeshift shields and sticks, angry frontline youngsters are heroes for some and vandals for others

Armed with makeshift shields and sticks, angry frontline youngsters are heroes for some and vandals for others