(Iquique) Several thousand people demonstrated on Sunday in northern Chile, blamed for an increase in crime, to cries of “Delinquents out! “.
Posted at 7:38 p.m.
“We do not want more illegal immigrants in our city,” said a protester at the head of the procession strewn with Chilean flags.
According to the police, some 4,000 people took part in this mobilization in the city of Iquique, located 1,800 kilometers north of Santiago.
Heated exchanges took place as the parade passed by strangers. A Venezuelan was even beaten by protesters until law enforcement intervened to protect him.
At the end of the rally, which was dispersed by the police, several protesters attacked a makeshift camp of Venezuelan immigrants, who were not there at the time of the incident.
No arrests were made, because “there was no serious disorder”, commented Sergio Telchi, general of the carabinieri of the Tarapaca region, in a police video.
This mobilization was organized after the aggression Tuesday by seven Venezuelans of two policemen of Iquique who verbalized them. The incident, revealed on social networks, occurred in a context of increasing crime, for which the population attributes responsibility to the influx of migrants.
According to statistics from the regional prosecutor’s office, homicides almost tripled (+183%) in 2021 in Iquique, while drug trafficking jumped by 42% and violent robberies by 18%. Migrant smuggling exploded, with +501% compared to the previous year.
An anti-migrant demonstration had already taken place on September 25 in the city, bringing together around 3,000 people who lined the streets chanting xenophobic slogans. Migrant tents had been set on fire.
The arrival of Venezuelans has increased sharply since late 2019, fleeing poverty and shortages in their country under severe international sanctions. Venezuela, however rich in oil, is going through an unprecedented crisis.