Artists occupy UNICEF building in Chile to support student protests

Aug 16, 2011, 22:42 GMT

Santiago - A group of 70 Chilean artists occupied the Santiago offices of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday in support of 40 schoolchildren who are on hunger strike to demand free public education.

The occupation ended after UNICEF joined criticism of the Chilean education system.

'Chile has one of the most segmented education systems in Latin America, and indeed one of the most segmented in the world,' said Gary Stahl, UNICEF representative in Chile.

'This means that if you are poor (in Chile), you get a poor education. If you are rich, you get an excellent education.'

Students were to protest again Wednesday across the country, as they have periodically for three months in the largest demonstrations in Chile since the end of the military dictatorship in 1990.

Painters, writers and musicians occupied UNICEF premises to demand a satisfactory response from the government.

'Students have engaged on an issue that should be a problem for the whole of society,' said Roberto Marquez, vocalist for the band Illapu.

'There are 23 (hunger) strikers aged 16-18, and we feel that the government is still playing around.'

In Chile, most school education and all universities require monthly fees.

The ongoing protests have eroded Chilean President Sebastian Pinera's approval rating, which sank to 26 per cent according to a survey published earlier this month, the worst of any Chilean president since 1990.