RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In Chile, new demonstrations against the government took place after President Sebastian Piñera stated in an interview that there was a “gigantic” misinformation campaign on the police violence during the demonstrations in Chile, which “were filmed and misrepresented abroad”.
They banged on pots and pans and chanted anti-government slogans, being dispersed by the police with tear gas and water cannons.
According to the fire department, a fire broke out in an art center during the demonstration and it was virtually completely destroyed. The protests against rising living costs and social inequality began in mid-October. Several people have been killed during the demonstrations.
The new wave of outrage was sparked by Chilean President Sebastian Piñera after he claimed in an interview that “many” videos on social media about the mistreatment of demonstrators by the police were “fake news” and that the unrest was being fueled by foreign governments.
Piñera said it was a “gigantic” misinformation campaign with videos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that “were shot or misrepresented outside of Chile”.
Piñera’s comments were first broadcast by CNN on December 15th but became public only on Thursday when they became the subject of intense controversy.
The allegations of foreign interference are not new: the US State Department said it had seen evidence of Russian “influence” on the riots “caused by the use and abuse of social media”.
However, Piñera’s allegations were angrily received by both his political opponents and members of his own ruling coalition, ‘Chile Vamos’. Manuel Jose Ossandon, Senator for National Renewal of the center-right party, told La Tercera newspaper: “Enough. Chile is experiencing a decisive moment. These statements do not help, they divide us.”
Sergio Micco, head of the Chilean Human Rights Institute, which examined online content as part of an investigation into how the police handled the protests, told a local radio station that the “overwhelming majority” was genuine, although the group had also seen misleading material.
And Jorge Abbott, Chile’s Attorney General, said: “Currently, the footage we analyzed does not fall into this category (from abroad).”