Chile protesters clash over Kast security plan

Hundreds of protesters in Chile clashed with police in Santiago on Thursday during a demonstration against President Jose Antonio Kast's security policies.

Police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse the protesters as they moved through the central Plaza Italia chanting that Kast is “just like Pinochet,” a reference to late dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Kast took office in March promising a hard line on organised crime and illegal immigration. His government has proposed eight constitutional amendments to tackle crime.

One proposal would allow the president to declare a state of emergency for up to eight months, without congressional approval, in the event of a serious threat to public security. Authorities would have powers to restrict basic freedoms, including movement and assembly, and to intercept communications in specific geographic areas.

The reforms have not yet been debated in Congress. They have drawn criticism from rights groups, opposition leaders and some members of the ruling coalition.

“He is giving himself powers that a president in a democracy shouldn't have,” Camila Aramena, a 22-year-old public administration student who took part in the protest, told AFP.

Chile is one of the safest countries in Latin America but has faced a rise in murders and kidnappings in recent years, coinciding with the arrival of foreign crime gangs including Venezuela's Tren de Aragua. The homicide rate was 5.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, twice what it was a decade earlier.