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| The occupation was the latest protest by university and high school students |
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Dozens of
Chilean students interrupted a meeting at the Senate headquarters in Santiago
to press their call for a referendum on Chile's social problems.
The
students broke in as lawmakers and the education minister were discussing next
year's budget.
The
protesters left several hours later after opposition lawmakers promised to
introduce a bill calling for a referendum.
Students
have been protesting for months to demand free public education.
The
Senate's education committee had gathered to discuss the budget when dozens of
young people, many of them high school students, burst into the room.
Three
youths climbed on top of the committee table and unfurled a sign which read
"Plebiscite now".
Some of the
students, who were streaming their actions live on Twitter, then occupied the
building for several hours.
Outside,
police sealed off the entrance to the building with metal barriers to keep more
protesters from entering.
They
confronted a crowd of hundreds of students and parents outside who were
carrying signs demanding "Free Education" and "Referendum
Now".
Reform
demands
Education
Minister Felipe Bulnes and others taking part in the Senate committee meeting
hurriedly left the building.
Protesters
shouted and threw coins at Mr Bulnes.
The Senate
president, Guido Girardi, who is a member of the opposition Party for
Democracy, spoke to the protesters and promised they would not be dislodged by
force by the police.
He has been
critical of the government's handling of the students' protests.
The
students have been boycotting classes and staging demonstrations for almost six
months.
On Tuesday,
police in Santiago used tear gas and water cannon in clashes with masked
protesters who set up burning barricades and threw petrol bombs; 260 people
were arrested.
The
government said after these violent demonstrations that it would invoke an emergency
security law to help quell student unrest - the most serious in Chile since
1990.
On
Wednesday, students held another mass demonstration to press their demands.
Talks over
education reform broke down this month and there is no sign of a resolution.
Indeed,
positions appear to be hardening.
Student
leaders are demanding wholesale reform of Chile's education system, which they
say is unequal and under-funded, but they have condemned the violence.
They want
the central government to take full control of education and increase spending
on public schools and universities.
President
Sebastian Pinera has responded by promising limited reforms and around $4bn
(£2.6bn) in extra funding.
On Tuesday,
he approved a law increasing subsidies for children from poor backgrounds
attending private schools.
But he has
categorically rejected calls for full state control and free education.
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