Metro management said there had been more than 200 incidents on Santiago’s subway system in the previous 11 days, mostly involving school children and older students jumping barriers and forcing gates. Police told Reuters they had to use teargas and batons in extreme cases.
The protests turned increasingly violent on Friday afternoon, however, and by early Friday evening, officials had closed down all of the city’s 136 metro stations, which connect more than 87 miles of track.
Earlier in the day, after a meeting with the metro chief and interior minister, Transport Minister Gloria Hutt told reporters the fare hike would not be reversed. She said the government subsidizes almost half the operating costs of the metro, one of Latin America’s most modern.
“This is not a discussion that should have risen to the level of violence that we’ve seen,” she said.
Support for the center-right Pinera has waned to around 30% in the second year of his term as his government struggles to push reforms through an opposition-led legislature.