Chile Education Protests
Thousands Protest President Kast's Education Cuts in Chile; Police Clash with Demonstrators
Thousands of students, teachers, and activists clashed with police in Santiago on June 3, 2026, in the largest protest since President José Antonio Kast took office. Police deployed water cannons and tear gas near the La Moneda presidential palace as demonstrators threw stones and blocked streets, according to AP.
The march was led by the Confederation of Chilean Students and the Teachers' Union. It targeted Kast's sweeping austerity plan — a $6 billion cut in public spending over 18 months, roughly 2% of Chile's GDP. Education alone is set to lose $221 million, teleSUR reported.
How a Peaceful March Turned Into Clashes
The demonstration started calmly in downtown Santiago around midday. Tens of thousands filled the streets under slogans defending public education. But by mid-afternoon, violence erupted near the presidential palace. Police fired water cannons and tear gas. Several Metro stations were closed, and multiple arrests were made, according to Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Teachers' Union president Mario Aguilar accused the government of provoking the unrest. He said: "The government sought to provoke this, to create this situation to justify repression." Student spokesperson Angy Moran of CONFECH was equally blunt: "The cuts are not justified. Chile's economic situation is not the same as Argentina's," she told teleSUR.
Kast's $6 Billion Austerity Plan Explained
Since taking office on March 11, Kast has pushed an aggressive plan to fix what he calls a "structural fiscal deficit of 3.6% of GDP" left by his predecessor Gabriel Boric. His administration ordered a 3% across-the-board spending cut for all 25 ministries almost immediately, Reuters reported. Health lost $486 million. Education lost $221 million.
The centerpiece of the plan is the National Reconstruction bill, known as RED. It includes over 40 measures, such as cutting corporate tax from 27% to 23% and rolling back regulatory frameworks. The Chamber of Deputies approved it with 90 votes. It now heads to the Senate, where Kast's coalition lacks a clear majority, according to WBAL.
Falling Approval and a Struggling Economy
Kast won the 2025 election with 58.1% of the vote. But his approval has since fallen sharply — to between 36% and 39% by June 2026, according to Yahoo News. Unemployment climbed to 9.1% in April, the highest in nearly five years. His government had promised 4% GDP growth, but Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz has since cut that forecast to just 2%.
Kast shows no sign of backing down. "We inherited a country with the accounts in disarray, and our obligation is not to complain, but to order them," he said during his June 1 State of the Nation address in Valparaíso, per MercoPress. Clashes broke out outside the National Congress that same day.
Chile's Long History of Student-Led Uprisings
Chile has a deep tradition of student protest. The 2006 "Penguin Revolution" and the 2011 student protests both reshaped national politics. Together, they helped spark the 2019 Estallido Social — a mass uprising that left dozens dead and led to a constitutional rewrite process. Analysts now warn the current unrest could grow into a general strike, WGNO reported.
Twenty-one-year-old student Magdalena Correa captured the mood on the streets. "They want to silence us, but we are not going to stop," she told AP. "They're taking away our resources and rights." With the RED bill still in the Senate and protests growing, the pressure on Kast's government is unlikely to ease soon.
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