Chilean child protesters told hip-hop collective Rebel Diaz on Sunday about their reasons for participation in the country's protest movement. (Image: screenshot/Rebel Diaz/Facebook)
Dec 01, 2019
Three Chilean children on Sunday told an interviewer they are protesting against their country's government and economic system in order to ensure a better future for the country.
In a brief conversation with a member of hip-hop collective Rebel Diaz, the three kids--aged 10, 11, and 8--said they were out on the streets braving the effects of police-fired teargas to fight for better salaries for Chileans, healthcare, the indigenous Mapuche, and more.
"For the grandparents who need money," said one child when asked why the trio were protesting.
"For the struggle," said another.
As Common Dreams reported, protests kicked off around Chile in October after a fare hike on the subway in the capitol Santiago. Billionaire right-wing President Sebastian Pinera endorsed a rewrite of the Latin American country's constitution in an attempt to placate the movement, but the demonstrations have continued due to systemic issues of inequality and poverty under the nation's neoliberal economy.
Pinera's police and security forces have taken harsh measures against the protest movement and a number of demonstrators have disappeared, evoking memories of the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s and 1980s.
The three children told Rebel Diaz that police teargas "doesn't allow us to breathe, so we're only feeling so-so."
When asked, "was it fair what the police did," referring to the teargas, the children replied in unison, "No!"
Watch the interview:
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Three Chilean children on Sunday told an interviewer they are protesting against their country's government and economic system in order to ensure a better future for the country.
In a brief conversation with a member of hip-hop collective Rebel Diaz, the three kids--aged 10, 11, and 8--said they were out on the streets braving the effects of police-fired teargas to fight for better salaries for Chileans, healthcare, the indigenous Mapuche, and more.
"For the grandparents who need money," said one child when asked why the trio were protesting.
"For the struggle," said another.
As Common Dreams reported, protests kicked off around Chile in October after a fare hike on the subway in the capitol Santiago. Billionaire right-wing President Sebastian Pinera endorsed a rewrite of the Latin American country's constitution in an attempt to placate the movement, but the demonstrations have continued due to systemic issues of inequality and poverty under the nation's neoliberal economy.
Pinera's police and security forces have taken harsh measures against the protest movement and a number of demonstrators have disappeared, evoking memories of the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s and 1980s.
The three children told Rebel Diaz that police teargas "doesn't allow us to breathe, so we're only feeling so-so."
When asked, "was it fair what the police did," referring to the teargas, the children replied in unison, "No!"
Watch the interview:
Three Chilean children on Sunday told an interviewer they are protesting against their country's government and economic system in order to ensure a better future for the country.
In a brief conversation with a member of hip-hop collective Rebel Diaz, the three kids--aged 10, 11, and 8--said they were out on the streets braving the effects of police-fired teargas to fight for better salaries for Chileans, healthcare, the indigenous Mapuche, and more.
"For the grandparents who need money," said one child when asked why the trio were protesting.
"For the struggle," said another.
As Common Dreams reported, protests kicked off around Chile in October after a fare hike on the subway in the capitol Santiago. Billionaire right-wing President Sebastian Pinera endorsed a rewrite of the Latin American country's constitution in an attempt to placate the movement, but the demonstrations have continued due to systemic issues of inequality and poverty under the nation's neoliberal economy.
Pinera's police and security forces have taken harsh measures against the protest movement and a number of demonstrators have disappeared, evoking memories of the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s and 1980s.
The three children told Rebel Diaz that police teargas "doesn't allow us to breathe, so we're only feeling so-so."
When asked, "was it fair what the police did," referring to the teargas, the children replied in unison, "No!"
Watch the interview:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.