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| Workers remove benches in the Plaza so they can't be damaged by unruly mobs (I'm not kidding!). |
While others fret about the
end of the world, Valparaíso is preparing for a big day of its own. May 21 is
Día de las Glorias Navales (Day of Naval Glories), when Chile celebrates the 1879
Battle of Iquique. It's also the start of a new session of Congress, and the Chilean president's version of the State of the Union address. As such, it also is traditionally a day of parades and mass political protests throughout the country. Apparently the protests often turn violent -- you can almost feel the tension this week as police, politicians, and protesters prepare for confrontations. Streets and parks are being emptied of anything that can be moved or thrown, and we've seen armored police vehicles with water cannons downtown. The big news for this year is that the Interior Minister has declared that the police must not use tear gas. We'll post after the weekend to let you know how it went, assuming we're all still around by then!
Hola queridos,
ReplyDeleteI have been following events in Chile on "La Tercera" this afternoon, as well as talking to friends in Chile, and it sounds like some particularly violent protests are taking place this year- especially b/c of hydroaysen. It must be interesting to witness, albeit from a safe distance, how democracy works in another country and what issues are important enough to become violent over.
I hope you are well and esten pasandolo "re piola".
un beso, Riana
Hey Riana, you're right -its very interesting. That's so cool that you can follow La Tercera...any reason why La Tercera and not the Mercurio? We went to the Campana today-but I'm too darn tired and sore to blog about it. Hope you are well. LJ
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