Everywhere you walk, you see graffiti like this.

This sign says “We have been killed, gassed, shot at, tortured, but we keep on going.”

Okay, this sign takes a little explaining. There had been a black dog (In other signs, they refer to the “Perro negro”) that used to hang around at the university and went with the students in the protests. He came to be called “matapaco”. “Pack” is a slang reference to the police, and mata… well, let’s just say the name is similar to “FTP” in the US. Matapaco is a very popular dog among the students, even though he recently died of natural causes. Okay. So the sign, with a picture of Matapaco, is one that a woman had in selling vegetarian hamburgers. (It seems vegetarianism is quite popular among the students.) On top it advertises that it is selling hamburgers made from lentils (“lentejas”) and it gives the ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) Then it shows Matapaco saying “feed your inner Matapaco”

The trash collectors are on strike, and here is one of them. He’s carrying a sign calling for “a fair salary for a dignified life”. The guy standing next to him is a construction laborer and we got to talking about conditions in construction. I can’t repeat what he said he’d like to do with Trump because I’m afraid I’d be arrested.

The Metro station by Plaza Italia had been trashed. Here you can see all the stones that were torn loose to throw at “paco”

A protester carrying a sign commemorating Abel Acuna, who was killed by the police. (She got the first name wrong.)

Having killed somebody the
Previous night didn’t stop the police from having at it again this night. If you look above the crowd, you can see a stream of water. That’s what the police shoot from a water cannon and it contains some sort of tear gas. And it does burn!

All over Santiago there were commeorations like this one for their fallen comrade.

“Saint Matapaco”

These are the tank-like vehicles that the carabineros drive around in, shooting water/tear gas from a water cannon.

Another shot of the protest around Plaza Italia. Again, you can see the tear gas in the distance. And if you’re wondering why you don’t see any close-up shots of the tear gas being shot… Well, I left the front line battles to the younger crowd!

Protest at Plaza Italia
This scene is a nightly occurance.

An Asemblea Popular

March of Chilean teachers

“For free and legal abortion”

Another shot of the water cannon at work.

And another

Paco (carabineros)

Running from the tear gas

More graffiti

“Socialism or barbarism.”
Rosa Luxembourg lives in the streets of Chile.

“They ask us for peace and they shoot at us.
“They ask us for peace and they rape us.
“They ask us for peace and they imprison us.
“They ask us for peace and they torture us.
“THEY ASK US FOR PEACE AND THEY KILL US.”

Teachers on the march

Some of the teachers

One of the teachers union’s banners It calls for free, public education of high quality.

“For free and legal abortion”

The rally of teachers

One of the students at the teachers rally. Her sign says she’s the granddaughter of a “Zurdo” (not sure what that word means) who teaches me to fight.

This teacher has a sign saying it’s not for 30 pesos; it’s for 30 years of abuse.

There was some great music at the teachers rally. Here the crowd is enjoying it.

More wall signs. On top it says “what TV doesn’t show you”. The photos on the left are of those who the carabineros killed.