Chile: Kast wants to create a "register of vandals" against violence in protests
The president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, announced this Monday (1st) that he will present a bill to create a "register of vandals and incivilities", with the aim of punishing people who damage or destroy the country's public infrastructure.
The announcement was made during his first traditional annual address to Congress, the so-called "Public Account", in which the president reports to Congress and defines government priorities for the following year.
The speech took place while protesters, called by unions and student groups, clashed with the police around the headquarters of the Chilean Legislature, in Valparaíso.
"This registry will allow those who committed crimes such as attacks against police officers, health professionals, hijacking of public transport, drug trafficking, damage to national monuments, among others, to be held responsible for their actions", declared Kast.
He added that people on this list "will lose social benefits such as free education, guaranteed universal pension or rent subsidy."
"It is not enough to fight organized crime and delinquency; we must also protect our neighbors from actions that corrode our neighborhoods, damage our historical and cultural heritage, disturb the peace of families and deteriorate public infrastructure", emphasized the Chilean president, adding that "no one who sets fire to a bus, no one who destroys public property deserves free education".
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"No one who destroys public property deserves a Guaranteed Universal Pension. They must be held accountable for the damage they cause to our country, and that's why I say things will change," he continued.
This initiative - which will be formally presented in the coming days - was one of Kast's campaign promises regarding security, in which he sought to respond to the crisis of "disorder and urban violence that is expressed in riots, looting, graffiti, illegal occupations and attacks on the Carabineros [Chilean military police]".
The founder of the Republican Party in Chile also warned that "there are behaviors that do not constitute a crime, but that we classify as incivilities, such as the illegal sale of alcohol, the consumption of drugs in public, unauthorized graffiti on public and private properties or the destruction of community facilities", reaffirming that these behaviors "will also lead to the loss of social benefits".
Kast assumed the presidency of Chile on March 11, 2026, after defeating left-wing candidate Jeanette Jara in the second round of the 2025 elections. He thus replaced President Gabriel Boric, also on the left, marking a turning point in Chilean politics.
In his first three months in office, the right-winger promoted a package of measures for "national reconstruction and economic development" amid protests with pots and pans in Santiago and had to replace his Minister of Public Security, Trinidad Steinert, and government spokeswoman, Mara Sedini, amid criticism.
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Source: CNN