Chilean students confront police after president announces budget cuts
Students in Santiago clashed with police using tear gas and water cannons when they tried to march toward La Moneda, after President José Antonio Kast announced unspecified 2027 budget cuts.
Police deployed tear gas and water cannons to stop a student demonstration aimed at the presidential palace, La Moneda. Demonstrators responded by throwing stones, sticks and bottles, leading to at least six arrests. The protest followed President José Antonio Kast's announcement of vague spending reductions in the 2027 budget proposal. Participants chanted slogans linking the cuts to the "Pinochet education system," referencing the former military ruler Augusto Pinochet, whom Kast has praised.
Why it matters
The protest shows rising opposition to Chile's new fiscal policies and the president's controversial references to past authoritarian rule.
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