Chile: Nearly 300 Arrests During Protests Commemorating the 53rd Anniversary of the Coup

Sunday 13 September 2026 - 07:41

The 53rd anniversary of the 1973 military coup sparked significant protests in Chile, amid tensions and police interventions. Nearly 300 people were arrested during gatherings organized in memory of the victims of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.

284 Arrests in Two Days

According to the Chilean government, 284 people, including 31 minors, were detained on Friday and Saturday during the protests held around the anniversary of the September 11, 1973 coup.

Thousands participated in the gatherings, particularly in Santiago, to honor the victims of the military dictatorship and denounce the legacy of this period in Chilean history.

The mobilizations led to tensions requiring the intervention of security forces. The report provided by authorities indicated a particularly high number of arrests for these days of commemoration.

A Date Heavy with Memory

On September 11, 1973, General Augusto Pinochet overthrew socialist President Salvador Allende in a military coup. The dictatorship that took hold in Chile lasted until the return of democracy in 1990.

This period remains deeply ingrained in the collective memory of the country. More than 3,200 people were killed or disappeared in connection with the political repression of that time.

Every year, the date of September 11 thus leads to gatherings, tributes to the victims, and debates on national memory.

A First Without Official Ceremony Since 1990

This year's anniversary, however, presents a significant political peculiarity. For the first time since the restoration of democracy in 1990, no official commemoration was organized by the authorities.

President José Antonio Kast, speaking on Friday in the Los Ríos region, defended this direction, suggesting that the country should be able to look towards the future without seeking to erase its past.

This position comes in a context where the memory of the dictatorship continues to evoke particularly strong political sensitivities in Chile.

Persistent Divisions Over Pinochet's Legacy

The protests once again illustrated the divisions surrounding the interpretation of this period. For participants mobilized in Santiago and elsewhere in the country, September 11 remains primarily a day dedicated to remembering the victims and denouncing the violations committed under the dictatorship.

The decision not to hold an official ceremony marks a shift in how authorities approach this historic date.

More than three decades after the return to democracy, Chile still faces a sensitive question: how to preserve the memory of the victims while constructing a national narrative focused on the future.