Chile, once considered Latin America’s Finland, is in trouble

“WE WANT TO see the end of capitalism and neoliberalism,” says Catalina (not her real name), a 37-year-old protester surrounded by a group of hooded men wielding sticks. She is one of many hundreds who, since Chile eased its covid-related curfew in October, have gone out on the streets to rail against the government. Some protesters have looted supermarkets and pharmacies. Others, wearing black balaclavas, have thrown Molotov cocktails at “pacos”, or the police. For a week the main thoroughfare of the capital was full of piles of rubbish that had been set on fire. The downtown area is covered with graffiti. “Death to the government, long live anarchy,” reads one scrawl.