On 11 September 2026, 53 years after the 1973 coup d’état, protests and commemorations in memory of the victims and in support of human rights took place in several cities across Chile. President Kast’s administration did not hold an official commemoration and deployed a massive security operation, with nearly 7,000 personnel nationwide. In Santiago, police used tear gas and water cannons; nationwide, 284 arrests were recorded, including 31 minors. Columbia Global Freedom of Expression’s protest monitor characterized this as a violation of freedom of expression and assembly, noting that treating an annual civic mobilization as “a major security threat” rather than a protected exercise of rights was problematic. In the same context, attacks on journalists covering the protests were documented.
