Fire Destroys Santiago's Centro Arte Alameda Amid Chilean Protests

On January 17, 2020, the Centro Arte Alameda, a historic cultural center in Santiago, Chile, was set ablaze during ongoing protests that began October 18, 2019. The fire, started by a tear gas canister fired by Carabineros, destroyed the venue known for screening independent, foreign, and LGBT+ films and hosting live performances. Director Roser Fort had built it into a national hub for art cinema. The center had become a symbol of social uprising, serving as a medical aid station for injured protesters. The arson occurred near Plaza Baquedano, renamed Plaza de la Dignidad by demonstrators. The protests, triggered by deep social inequality—minimum wage €366, pensions €140, privatized utilities—have resulted in 26 deaths, 3,500 injuries, 359 eye injuries from rubber bullets, and 15,000 arrests. President Sebastián Piñera deployed the military, declaring a "state of war." Filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, Oscar winner for "A Fantastic Woman," condemned the government. The Las Tesis collective's performance "Un violador en tu camino" gained global attention; former ambassador Fernando Ayala proposed them for the Nobel Peace Prize. Journalist Eugenio Llona warned the fire targets critical consciousness, intelligence, imagination, identity, and culture.