This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
Chile's Defense Minister Alberto Espina sounded the alarm on November 27, 2019, warning Congress that the country was witnessing levels of violence not seen since the return of democracy in 1990.
Violence flared up in several towns and cities overnight, with the national police facing criticism for using excessive force against protesters and abusing detainees.
Human Rights Watch, which had accused the police of "serious human rights violations" just a day earlier, reported receiving hundreds of allegations of abuse, including beatings and sexual assault.
One of the most disturbing cases involved university student Gustavo Gatica, who became the first demonstrator to be left fully blind after being hit in the eyes by pellets fired by riot police on November 8 during a protest in Santiago.
As the unrest continued, residents in some towns expressed their anger by banging on pots and pans, while in La Serena, a beach town 480 kilometers north of Santiago, assailants looted and set fire to a traditional downtown hotel, the Costa Real.
Further south, in Concepcion, a massive protest held amid a strike by the country's main labor union ended in violent clashes between hooded protesters and police.
Meanwhile, in Santiago, a metro station in a university district was vandalized during the night, forcing its closure, and activists demanding an end to highway tolls blocked main roads into the city, causing traffic jams.
