Protests and Riots continue in Chile

[kaoras]

Well, I thought a new topic was needed for an update.

• Protests (and violence) haven't really slowed down in the last week, they are not as big as in the first week but they have stabilized.
• Repression continues to be brutal, and there has been a lot of outrage about the number of people with eye wounds due to being shot in the eye with pellet guns by the police. The Medical college claimed that the number of people with severe eye wounds (180)in the last two weeks is bigger than any other conflict in the world. (Including a 6 year period of Israel-Palestine conflict). This data is from a week ago, the number should be higher now. NYT did a video about this: https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/americas/100000006795557/chile-protesters-shot-eye.html. 
• To celebrate this, Piñera announced new anti-lootings, anti-barricades, and anti-hood laws as part of a security agenda, which did wonders calming everybody down... Carabineros has said that now they will only use it when they fear for their lives, though that is what is supposed to happen now anyway, and I haven't seen them any less trigger happy than before.
• Piñera also said that they had received info about foreign intervention in the protest and that they passed the info to the Public Ministry. Despite this, the national prosecutor said afterward that they hadn't received any info about foreign intervention...
• A U.S. inmigrant and white supremacist John Cobin shot at protesters that were blocking a road in the beach resort of Reñaca. One person was wounded in the leg and John Cobin was arrested.
• The most significant development was that the government has ceded to the demand for a new Constitution. They said that this will be done by a "Constituent Congress", which absolutely nobody had any idea of what that meant. Fortunately, a day after the government clarified that they also didn't know what it means, only that it was not a "Constituent Assembly".

Today a general strike was called. Usually in Chile general strikes are observed by no one but public employees but protesters have cut roads in many big cities (even throwing rocks at public transport) so there's going to be significant disruption.

[kaoras]

Piñera talked today after a day of violent unrest. He basically said nothing, calling for accords for "Peace, Justice and a New Constitution" without giving any details.

The only thing of notice is that he is calling retired Carabineros to help and that he is going to apply the  State Security law to anyone who "incites violence". No auto critic at all and praised Carabineros for its work despite the widespread outcry against the brutal repression.

[kaoras]

• The most significant development was that the government has ceded to the demand for a new Constitution. They said that this will be done by a "Constituent Congress", which absolutely nobody had any idea of what that meant. Fortunately, a day after the government clarified that they also didn't know what it means, only that it was not a "Constituent Assembly".

....................

well ok then

I’ve seen people claim it means Congress will select the constituent assembly from among its members.

Nobody knows, not even the government. They say that they are still reviewing the mechanism. All opposition parties have rejected this "approach" and have demanded a Constituent Assembly.

Other news, a recording from the director of Carabineros was leaked. He said that he wasn't going to punish anyone because of the repression, "even if they force me". The police confirmed the veracity of the recording but said that it was referring to "due process" in the cases of "possible excess".

A court has admitted a lawsuit against Piñera for his responsibility in crimes against humanity committed by the state in the repression of the protest. There will be an exclusive prosecutor. This is honestly less spectacular than it sounds because it is unlikely that they will find legal responsibility, but it shows that there is merit to the claims of political responsibility for the murder and torture committed by armed and security forces since the start of the protests.

[kaoras]

It's seems that the main stumbling block is UDI (to the shock of no one). Also, apparently the government has had no role in the negotiations and Piñera went to his house at 9pm.

A socialist senator said that "Pinochet's Constitution has its days numbered" so we might see an accord soon