Violent scenes unfolded in central Santiago on Wednesday as Chile’s Carabineros fired tear gas and water cannons to prevent thousands of students, teachers, and activists from advancing towards the La Moneda presidential palace. Protesters retaliated with stones and incendiary bottles, leading to street battles that forced the closure of major thoroughfares and metro stations. The mobilization, called by the Confederation of Chilean Students (Confech) and the teachers’ union, was among the largest acts of civil disobedience since President Kast assumed office.

The demonstration was a direct response to Kast’s fiscal consolidation plan, which aims to slash $6 billion in public spending over 18 months. An immediate cut of 197.7 billion Chilean pesos (roughly $200 million) to education and health budgets has galvanized public anger. Marchers chanted “la educación pública se defiende” (“public education must be defended”), while also denouncing recent fuel price increases that have squeezed household budgets. The austerity package, announced shortly after Kast’s 11 March inauguration, includes tax cuts for the wealthy and what critics call an assault on environmental protections and indigenous rights.

Kast, a far-right leader who defeated leftist Gabriel Boric in last year’s election, campaigned on a platform of social conservatism and alignment with figures like Donald Trump. His government frames the cuts as necessary to repair Chile’s fiscal accounts, yet the measures have ignited latent social tensions reminiscent of the 2019 estallido, which paralysed the nation over inequality. The education sector, long a flashpoint in Chilean politics, once again finds itself at the centre of the conflict.

Viewed from Washington, Kast’s fiscal turn fits a pattern of right-wing populist governance across the Americas, prioritising market orthodoxy over social spending. Analysts in London and Brussels note that the programme, if implemented, would unwind many of the social gains demanded during the 2019 uprising. Across the Middle East, coverage has highlighted the violent repression, with Al-Manar underscoring the intensity of street clashes and the 18-month austerity timeline—a detail largely overlooked in Western media. Regional outlets in Argentina and Brazil have framed the protests as a barometer of resistance to ultraconservative policies sweeping the Southern Cone.

The clashes in Santiago are likely only the opening salvo. With the government pushing for parliamentary approval of its budget, and public anger simmering over perceived social regression, further unrest appears inevitable. Whether Kast can sustain his mandate in the face of mass mobilisation—echoing the 2019 uprising that paralysed the country—remains an open question. For now, the streets of the Chilean capital signal that the battle over the country’s social contract has only just begun.