Student protest for free education turns violent

Associated Press 12 August 2012

Police used water cannons to break up a protest in Chile's capital last Wednesday by thousands of students demanding free education. Hooded vandals set ablaze three city buses amid violence that left dozens arrested and injured, writes Luis Andres Henao for Associated Press.

The crisis over education reform in Chile remains unresolved despite more than a year of demonstrations by students, teachers and families. The marches have mostly been peaceful but often end with clashes between police in riot gear and vandals armed with sticks who loot shops and hurl rocks and Molotov cocktails.

President Sebastian Pinera's approval ratings have plunged with the protests that have focused Chileans' attention on academic and economic inequality. Pinera has refused to radically change the education system. Instead, he has proposed spending about $1 billion on thousands of new scholarships and lowering student loan interest from an average of 6% to 2%.
Full report on the ABC News site

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