More than 280 people were arrested in Chile during demonstrations commemorating victims of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship, the government said Saturday (September 12, 2026).
“I cannot erase history, nor can I ask our compatriots to accept that we are condemned by our history to be unable to look toward our nation’s future,” said President Jose Antonio Kast, the first far-right head of state in Chile since Pinochet’s exit, who took office in March.
The biggest demonstration took place at Santiago’s General Cemetery, home to the Allende family mausoleum, with leftist former president Gabriel Boric joining the rally. Demonstrations take place annually to mark the September 11, 1973 coup d’etat led by Pinochet against the government of socialist president Salvador Allende. Authorities arrested 284 people on Thursday and Friday, Public Security Minister Martin Arrau said on X, noting it was an 80 percent increase from the previous year. Those arrested included 16 foreign nationals and 31 minors, Arrau said.
