And the protests continue!

Here is our latest security up-date.  We are safe.  Americans nor members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been targeted.  We are sad for the wonderful people that we have met here who are suffering emotionally, financially, and spiritually because of this continuing problem.

11/19/19: CHILE: Protests This Week Amid Continued Unrest (Update)

Anti-government activists have called for ‘countrywide’ protests today and Wednesday, November 20. This, despite the government announcing last week that it plans to draft a new constitution, a key demand of activists. Protesters have continued to call for President Sebastian Pinera to resign, which he is unlikely to do. Demonstrations over the past couple weeks have not caused widespread travel disruption in Santiago, but some looting and acts of vandalism at the edges of gatherings remain likely. Monday, November 18, marked one month since demonstrations began.

In Santiago, organizers announced plans to meet at Plaza Italia at 5:30 p.m., but activists will probably also gather in the Cisterna, San Miguel, and Providencia suburbs. Organizers called for gatherings in ‘main squares in the country’ without naming specific locations and protesters are likely to congregate in most cities. We anticipate that tens of thousands of people will participate in protests in Santiago, and several thousands in other cities, as has been the case in the past few days. 

Violent clashes between protesters and security forces at protests in major cities are likely to recur in the coming days, with protesters attacking security forces with rocks and similar projectiles the most probable trigger. The police in Santiago on Saturday, November 16, used water cannons, tear gas, and baton rounds to disperse protesters in Plaza Italia, Cisterna, San Miguel, and Providencia. They used the same tactics against protesters in Valparaiso, Iquique, and Puerto Montt. Acts of looting and vandalism have decreased since protests and accompanying unrest began one month ago. We have seen only a few reports of looting and vandalism in Santiago in the past week. But those seem to have been opportunistic and we have not seen any calls by activists to target specific companies or sectors. Still, some looting and acts of vandalism against private and public property at the edges of protests remain likely, particularly in Santiago near Plaza Italia and along the Alameda. 

There are few signs that protests will end anytime soon. The government plans to hold a plebiscite on the details of the constitutional assembly, but not before April 2020. This means that activists are likely to try and maintain pressure until then to ensure that the vote is held. President Pinera is also unlikely to resign, mainly because he still seems to have the support of his party and the security forces. Losing his party’s support or signs that security forces are unable or unwilling to cope with protests, would be clear triggers for his resignation. But we assess that both developments are unlikely for now. (Risk Advisory)