Violent demonstrations in front of Chilean Congress over fishing law

Police in Valparaiso on Tuesday fired tear gas and water at demonstrators protesting in front of Chile's National Congress.

The protests originated after a Chilean Senate committee delayed a vote on the controversial fishing law which seeks to redistribute quotas between artisanal and industrial fishermen.

The protests resulted in several people being detained after demonstrators tried to tear down a fence in an attempt to enter Congress.

Hugo Poblete, leader of the Quintero fishermen's union in central Chile, was one of hundreds of fishermen who gathered outside the building to watch the Chilean Senate Finance Committee debate the new law on a giant screen.

"The point that is being debated now is the fractioning, or the percentages that each sector (artisanal and industrial) gets from the different species," Poblete told the media, adding that artisanal fishermen had obtained a beneficial percentage when the law was passed in the lower house, including 70% for hake and 90% for cuttlefish, the two most important species for small local fishermen.

A fractioning law was presented in September 2024 by the government of President Gabriel Boric and has been reviewed hastily by Congress.