Vandals infiltrate Mapuche protest in Chile, leading to arrests

Tuesday, October 16, 2012  

An otherwise peaceful protest by members of the Mapuche Tribe of Chile turned violent on Monday after vandals infiltrated the event, the Associated Press reported.

The protest in Santiago, the capital, was against the “Dia de La Raza" national holiday. About 3,000 Mapuche participated.

“Today is a day of protest, not of celebration because there’s nothing to celebrate,” Natividad Llanquileo, a Mapuche leader, told the national television network, the AP reported. “We’re going to insist on the freedom of the Mapuche people.”

But police said anarchist groups marred the protest by vandalizing some bank branches. Sixteen people were arrested, the AP reported.

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Chilean police clash with protesters during Mapuche march (AP 10/15)