Patagonia sin Represas protests

Plaza de las armas

Yesterday 1.9.2011 - I appeared close to moneda , as I went to see how does it work free theatre workshop,where they at the entrance tried to ask me for 50 000 pesos. As I directly smiled and took my things and went. Being soooo tired of everytbody triing to charge for anything,like really anything in the world u can imagine. All wrong,all bad. So I was roaming around teh center,the streets which are just for pedestrians. I have seen some people marching with transparents and as its quite usual over here I just didnt pay almost any attention to them. Passed Plaza de Armas where were some religious fricks telling the word of god in the megaphone for loads of people,people playing chess (this one I like - I used to join the chess players on  copacabana,especially the favela once as I was always invited to take

at least one or two rounds),people sitting eating,nice and calm more or less. I was roaming around the center more than one hour,taking pictures,as I finally have my cam,but its absolutely messed up - as they broke my zoom,flash etc in the service here in Santiago and havent solved anything with video. Oh yeah,welcome to south america! Thats what I was affraid with my technical stuff.
Anyway,as I was approaching down to main street called alameda,I have just noticed that more and more places are closed,even though they have written that they are closing at 10,so I asked the guard,behind a thinck cage,looking at me,whats happening here. U know,its because of the protests ...

La Moneda - Chilian Parliament

The protests when I have seen them last time were really calm. People shouting and marching :"Chile is not for Sale!" He didnt respond ... So I took it like well,they are affraid.The specialty of Chile is that they have closed
streets - like some neighbourhood says,that they would feel safer and for night they have gate at the
entrance of the street and at the end and just the person who has the key,can get in. I live in such street on 10 de julio (was really wierd to see it for the first time).
Anyway ... going down to Alameda and Universidad de Chile,as I am living close,was quite interesting for me.
No cars,buses,Alameda was in this point emtry. Just people on far marching - close to moneda and behind my back. So I started to investigate ...

As u can see from the video,in one moment the situation started to be interesting and I was trying to catch the police cars and panciert cars splashing the water to the demonstrants who havent been agresive,ride here and there,throwing bombs of gass. I got accidently in between runig crowd,but the police was throwing gass bombs everywhere to people who were just marching,they havent been throwing anything,not even doing mess,just marching with words: "Patagonia sin represas".
We got to street which is not for cars running being followed by one police pancierd car,who agresively followed the demonstrants in the streets throwing the gass bombs everywhere,the huge water spashing cars coundnt get in.
Later on at night I was talking to someone who was staying at Plaza de Italia and described the situation as the police gone crazy with the bombs. I am stil caughting and feeling sick,having bit troubles to breathe as they threw one just on front of us and had to pass it to get to some safer place. All night was possible to hear helicopters. I wouldnt like to know how many people ended up in hospital last night.
I was talking to people in the house and got afirmative that this behaviour of Chilian police is quite normal and its not good to mess up with them at the end.