Home > Chilean police arrest 120 demonstrators against globalization, Bush

Chilean police arrest 120 demonstrators against globalization, Bush

by Open-Publishing - Thursday 18 November 2004
5 comments

Demos-Actions Movement Police - Repression South/Latin America

Around 120 protesters were arrested here Wednesday after they crashed with police in a rally against globalization and US President George W. Bush, who will arrive here for Saturday’s economic leaders meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Some 500 protesters, most of them from university and middle school, marched along the main Alameda street in downtown Santiago,chanting slogans against globalization and President Bush.

The police used tear gas to disperse the mass, and clashed withthe demonstrators after they blocked main streets. Some 120 protestors were detained in the clash and some nearby shops were forced to close due to the chaos.

The police said they took action to stop the demonstration because it was not authorized by the government, but did not say whether some people were injured during their operation.

Chile’s government spokesman Francisco Vidal warned after the arrest that any demonstration must get permission from the government and the police have the obligation to take tough measures against unauthorized demonstrations.

The Chilean government announced Monday to give green light to a peaceful demonstration against globalization and Bush in downtown Santiago on Friday, organized by a society forum made up of more than 100 non-governmental organizations.

Organizers have claimed they would take all measures to guarantee a peaceful demonstration, which they say is an outlet for Chilean citizens to voice their opposition to Bush and globalization, a main topic of the ongoing APEC meetings.

The approval came amid unprecedentedly tight security in the capital, as leaders of the 21 APEC members will arrive for this year’s APEC Economic Leaders Meeting slated for Saturday and Sunday.

Local press said more than 5,000 police and troops, either fromthe capital or other regions, will be deployed to provide securityfor the week-long APEC meetings, which include the senior officials meeting, the ministerial meeting and the economic leaders meeting.

Massive police presence was seen around meeting venues and along main streets in Santiago. Helicopters were also seen hovering overhead.

Officials said tougher security measures, such as traffic control and roadblock checks, would be taken during the leaders’ meeting. On Friday, when the top leaders start to arrive, local residents will have a special holiday.

It is the largest security operation in Chile since Pope John Paul II visited the Latin American country in 1987. (Xinhuanet)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/18/content_2231432.htm

Forum posts

  • I think it is so easy for the rest of the world to blame Bush and America for everything. They can then ignore their own government for mismanaging public funds and corruption, they can ignore their own role in not paying taxes and committing bribery, they can ignore the large european usually french companies that have been buying up their water and basic resources while their country’s legislators pocket the money.

  • "There were thousands upon thousands of instances of election fraud committed by Republican operatives and the electronic vote was manipulated to favor Republicans. There is an ocean of evidence to show it."

    • The people of the world see clearly that Bush is a world class crimminal, he is just another CIA puppet, daddy Bush was and is a CIA man. The CIA is like the maffia, if you are a member, you are a member for life. The CIA has gone around the world installing and deposing governments and the educated people of the world know this and are out of patience with the US for this. Unfortunately the people here at home do not want to know this, we are still fooling ourselves about who controls this country. Americans should ask people in other countries who we are controlled by and stop believing G.E., Westinghouse, Murdoch owned media. Especially CBS/Westinghouse (nuclear weapons business) and NBC/G.E. (nuclear weapons business). The CIA is in the business of war and their partners are the weapons producers, world unrest and upheaval are their mainstays. Without war their business would collapse, it is good for business to have so much world warring.

    • I think you’ve been brainwashed by leftists. All you’re doing is regurgitating what they’ve written. You have no proof regarding any of the things that you are accusing various people.

  • The continued building of the Pariah president....