Tuesday, October 11, 2011

YOUTH RIOTS: CHILE

Source: camila_vallejo_mosaic_by_cornejo_sanchez-d461n0j.jpg

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One of the underreported stories of the year, at least as far as the British press are concerned, are the student riots in Chile, which started in July and are still ongoing.

To get up to speed read the following:

‘Camila Vallejo – Latin America’s 23-year-old revolutionary folk hero’ by Jonathan Franklin/The Observer 8 Oct 2011

‘Vallejo, a 23-year-old geography student, was singing and marching with a handwritten sign when a squad of military vehicles closed in and attacked her with jets of tear gas. A pair of trucks mounted with water cannons unleashed a barrage of water fierce enough to break bones and scrape a person across the pavement. Vallejo was soaked, a cloud of tear gas was then blasted on to her body. With her skin wet, the chemical reaction was massive and incapacitating. Vallejo was paralysed. Her body went into an allergic reaction and welts from the gas erupted over it.’

See Wikipedia entry: 2011 Chilean Protests

Meet Camila Vallejo: Leader of Chile’s Youth Movement by Ameris Castillo/Latina

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Protestors lined the streets in support of a teenage boy shot during two-day protests over education reforms in Santiago. Reuters/Carlos Vera. Source RFI English

Students Hold Violent Protests in Chile.jpg

See this incredible slide show on Flickr by urbancn

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