The mayor of Santiago, Felipe Alessandri, explicitly asked for and joined several voices – calling for substantial change in Carabineros, at least in his strategy to control demonstrations in the capital. The National Renewal edil entered the discussion for the future of the police forces after yesterday a group of strangers turned tables in the sector of the Lastarria neighborhood.
“The vandalos changed their behavior. We were concentrated in Piazza Italia. Yesterday The Plaza Italia and La Moneda were protected and the axis to Teatinos was devoid. This led to us getting into Lastarria and the other perpendicular streets that enter the historical case, generating destruction, looting,” Alessandri recounted, ensuring that he has asked the regional mayor “to change strategies.”
Faced with criticism from the police’s way of operating, such as entering with water-throwing cars chasing protesters coming from Plaza Italia, Alessandri emphasized that “we will have to change protocols, clearly what happened yesterday is that the prevention measures we had did not work (…) that’s why I already talked to the metropolitan mayor to meet and review the protocols.”
“This is not solved with more violence or further repression, it is solved by dialogue and with the legitimate use of force that comes every time there are dismantles like the ones we saw yesterday,” he said.
