Incidents occurred on Sunday in Santiago between police and demonstrators during a march attended by President Gabril Boric, in memory of the victims of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the coup having brought the Chilean general to power.
The leftist president briefly joined the procession of some 5,000 people, according to the government, becoming Chile’s first leader to do so since the end of the dictatorship in 1990.
However, demonstrators threw stones at the presidential palace, breaking through security barriers and damaging access to a cultural center located in the building.
Clashes with police also took place at other locations in the city along the parade route, with some protesters throwing molotov cocktails and erecting burning barricades.
Inside the cemetery which houses a memorial to the victims of the Pinochet regime, some mausoleums were damaged, including that of a right-wing senator.
“As President of the Republic, I categorically condemn these events. […] The irrationality of attacking what Allende and so many other democrats fought for is despicable”, reacted Mr. Boric on his account X (ex-Twitter).
Three police officers were injured and three people arrested, according to the government.
On September 11, 1973, General Pinochet seized power by overthrowing President Allende, who committed suicide in the presidential palace. Then began a bloody dictatorship, officially responsible for 3,200 assassinations and disappearances.
Most of the participants in the march, carrying Chilean flags and chanting slogans such as “Truth and justice now!” » or “Allende is alive”, however, marched calmly.
“With this march, we remember that 1973 broke democracy in Chile and that we continue to fight to maintain and strengthen it,” said Luis Pontigo, 72, a retired teacher.
In the morning, Mr. Boric inaugurated an exhibition dedicated to the memory of Salvador Allende at the presidential palace of La Moneda, in the presence of family members of the late socialist leader.