Chile arrests 284 in protests condemning Pinochet’s dictatorship

More than 280 people were arrested in Chile during demonstrations commemorating victims of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship, the government said Saturday.

This year was the first since the end of Pinochet’s brutal 1973-1990 rule that Chile did not hold any official events marking the era that left deep scars on the South American nation.

“I cannot erase history, nor can I ask our compatriots to accept that we are condemned by our history to be unable to look toward our nation’s future,” said president Jose Antonio Kast, the first far-right head of state in Chile since Pinochet’s exit, who took office in March.

Under Pinochet more than 3,200 people were killed or disappeared, while tens of thousands of others were tortured or imprisoned.

Demonstrations take place annually to mark the Sept 11, 1973 coup d’etat led by Pinochet against the government of socialist president Salvador Allende.

This week’s protests saw demonstrators throw sticks and stones at riot police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.

Authorities arrested 284 people on Thursday and Friday, public security minister Martin Arrau said on X, noting it was an 80% increase from the previous year.

Those arrested included 16 foreign nationals and 31 minors, Arrau said.

There were 198 “incidents of violence” but no civilian injuries, he added.

The biggest demonstration took place at Santiago’s General Cemetery, home to the Allende family mausoleum, with leftist former president Gabriel Boric joining the rally.

Other events took place at the presidential La Moneda Palace, where Allende died by suicide, and at the National Stadium, which the Pinochet regime used as a site for detention and torture.