Chile: 284 arrests during protests marking the anniversary of the coup

284 people were arrested in Chile during the protests and demonstrations on Friday for the anniversary of the coup d'état of September 11, 1973, 80% more than last year. This was announced by the Minister of Security, Martín Arrau, specifying that those arrested included 16 foreigners and 31 minors.

According to the minister, 198 violent episodes were recorded, but the national toll indicates 34% fewer violent events compared to 2025, with no civilians injured or damage to public transport. Some of those arrested, Arrau reported, were in possession of Molotov cocktails and pyrotechnics. The protests were concentrated in particular in Santiago, in the neighborhoods of Villa Francia and Cerro Navia. "Demonstrating peacefully is a right. Burning, erecting barricades, destroying and attacking the Carabineros are not," Arrau said.

It is the first anniversary of the coup after the inauguration of right-wing president José Antonio Kast and, for the first time since the return to democracy, an official demonstration did not take place.