Movimiento Solidaridad UC, a student group at the Catholic University (UC), filed a criminal complaint against "all those found responsible" for the assaults suffered by several of its members on October 1. The incidents occurred outside the university's main building, at Alameda 340, during a march called by the Confederation of Chilean Students (Confech).
According to Emol, the lawyer handling the complaint is Ruggero Cozzi. The students announced that they would provide details at the same building where they had to take refuge that day. A criminal complaint allows a victim to become a party to a criminal investigation and request the prosecution of those responsible for a crime.
According to ADN Radio, the incidents began when members of Solidaridad UC and Movimiento Gremial were holding a counterprotest. Video footage and accounts cited by the radio station indicate that they were punched, kicked, spat on and attacked with stones, sticks and paint. The students also reported that some were doused with gasoline.
Juan Carlos de la Llera, rector of UC, said that ten students received emergency care on campus and four were subsequently referred to UC CHRISTUS Clinical Hospital. The rector added that university staff were also assaulted when they tried to protect the students.
Josefina Wünkhaus, a former Solidaridad candidate for president of the UC Student Federation (FEUC), told The Clinic that the complaint seeks to establish what happened. "These situations of violence cannot be left without a search for a concrete response," she said. The student leader also held Confech responsible for safety at the demonstration.
Confech spokesperson Laura Mlynarz, president of the University of Chile Student Federation (FECh), described the clashes as unacceptable and said the organization condemned the violence that day.
Solidaridad UC said it rejects "any use of violence as a method of political action". The sources have so far reported no arrests or charges. The next step depends on the Prosecutor's Office, which must investigate the reported incidents and attempt to identify those responsible.
