High school students burn desks to make barricades in Santiago

SANTIAGO.- Close to 40 students from the Internado Nacional Barros Arana (INBA), set fire to desks belonging to the educational institution in order to create barricades at the intersection of San Pablo and Matucana today, in the municipality of Santiago. 

The barricades impeded traffic in the area, prompting police officers to intervene.

Officers of the Police Special Forces Unit managed to break up the mob of high school students, who were apparently protesting against the General Education Law (LGE).

In response, the demonstrators began throwing paint at police, but then fled the area when officers began to employ a water cannon.

According to Police Colonel Ricardo Cartagena, in addition to the school furnishings, the fire from the barricades caused damage to the road and telephone cables.