Water cannons fired at Chilean students' protest

  • 12 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
Chilean police fired water cannons at students protesting against municipal mayor Pedro Sabat, who has been critical of students demanding reform.
Sabat, mayor of Nunoa, suspended the enrollment of 300 secondary school students for their involvement in protests, which peaked last August in Chile.
Defending the eviction of students, he had called a girls' boarding school a "whorehouse", citing that its students had sexual relations, trafficked drugs and stole supplies.
His comments incensed students, alumni and politicians.
In Santiago on Friday (January 13), about 400 protesters demonstrated against Sabat. Some held up posters with cheeky slogans like "We are all whores."
Indignant students organised the march in eastern Santiago, and security forces tried to break it up by firing water cannons at activists who were throwing rocks.
At least six protesters were detained and several were injured, including one who was hit in the head by a rock.
In the past year, thousands of Chilean students have launched rallies demanding that the government provide free university education to the youth.

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