Student protests in Chile leads to mass arrest

Hundreds of people have been arrested in Chile after students and professors took to the streets to protest new education reforms in the country. Local authorities report that 874 people have been arrested and 90 police officers injured after a series of peaceful protests turned to clashes between students and police. Chile has seen a series of street demonstrations emerge over the past few weeks in response to President Sebastian Pinera’s announcement that education spending will be slashed earlier this year.

According to a report by AFP, students are pushing for an amendment to the constitution to include the right to education, as well as increased financial assistance and government accountability in matters of education. Over the past several weeks, students have staged demonstrations that include a kissing protest and a superhero protest, though neither turned as ugly as Thursday’s rally, which saw police use tear gas and water cannons on crowds in Santiago.

Students and professors plan to file a complaint over police use of force at the demonstration.