Chile students disrupt metro with protests in wake of constitution defeat

SANTIAGO: Chilean students protested in several subway stations in the capital on Wednesday, demanding reforms to the education system days after voters rejected a proposed constitution that had roots in student demonstrations three years ago.

Early Wednesday, the Santiago Metro began reporting temporary suspensions at various stations in its network due to the presence of young people protesting inside and outside facilities.

Although the protests were peaceful, with no reports of violent action, they recalled student protests that in October 2019 led to massive and sometimes violent street demonstrations against inequality in the South American country.

The protests came less than a week after Chileans overwhelmingly rejected a proposed new constitution in a referendum on Sunday. The result led progressive President Gabriel Boric to reshuffle his cabinet to broaden the government's coalition.

Santiago's Metro system said on its Twitter account that there were service interruptions in at least a dozen stations due to "student-generated disorders."

In the morning, a group of students also engaged in skirmishes with the police at a school in downtown Santiago.

Members of the country's interior ministry met this afternoon to discuss solutions for the protests.