After serious riots in the Chilean capital of Santiago, President Sebastián Piñera has declared a state of emergency in the city. In addition, he ordered the military to provide security, said Piñera on.
Protesters had previously delivered heavy riots with the security forces. The cause of the protests was an increase in ticket prices for public transport from 800 to 830 pesos (1.04 euros). In January there had already been a price increase of 20 pesos.
In protest, there were first calls, without using public transport tickets. Later there were attacks on subway stations. Demonstrators staged barricades in various parts of the city and clashed with the police. This used water cannons and tear gas.
Javier Torres / AFP
President Piñera: "This urge to break everything is not a protest, it's criminal"
The authorities then closed all subway stations in the city. The operating company said in the online service Twitter, it could "not a minimum of security for passengers and employees are guaranteed."
Accordingly, all 164 subway stations in the city were attacked. The damage amounts, according to the information, to the equivalent of 630,000 euros. The metro network in Santiago is considered the largest and most modern in South America.
Piñera described the demonstrators as offenders. "This urge to break everything is not a protest, it's criminal," the president said in a radio interview.
