Ruptly
"Thousands of Chilean students took to the streets of downtown Santiago on a new day of protests, known as the 'Backpack Protest', to demonstrate against the government's proposed budget cuts to education, which were pushed by Jose Antonio Kast's administration. Footage filmed on Wednesday shows security forces deploying water cannon trucks in order to disperse students from high schools and universities and prevent them from occupying Plaza Baquedano. During the rally, the protesters set up roadblocks that caused traffic congestion. Meanwhile, Carabineros police used tear gas to disperse the protesters in clashes. The student movement also raised concerns about the 'Protected Schools' bill currently under debate in the Senate. The bill includes a provision for inspecting backpacks at the school entrance, which the students saw as a punitive measure. Various actors in the education sector, such as the Teachers' Association, have criticised the initiative, calling it insufficient, as they say it does not address structural problems of school coexistence. This protest, organised by the Secondary Students' Network of the Metropolitan Area and the collective 'Students for the Popular Cause', joins other student movements, such as those held in Santiago, which aim to voice opposition to the educational policies of the Chilean government."
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