Protest in the City
I’d been wanting to go into the centre
of the city to check out some of the old buildings and the presidential Palace,
(see other page) when we arrived we were told that visiting was suspended due
to a protest that was about to happen.
Not sure of what was going on or what was going to happen, we got down
close and had the video and photo cameras working overtime. The protesters marched their way down the street,
past the police and into the main square opposite the Palace. They were Mapuche and they were protesting
about unemployment, human rights, femicide and against the government in
general. Many years ago, these
protesters would have been arrested and perhaps disappeared but this was entirely
peaceful and it was the highlight of my visit to the city.
After the speeches were done, there were
protesters dancing native Mapuche dances.
The participants were dressed in brightly coloured outfits and were
spectacular.
