Kast Takes Office Amid Widespread Protests Across Santiago and Regions

The inauguration of the new government was marred by social mobilizations across various locations in the country. Demonstrations, gatherings, and student protests marked the political debut of the new president, highlighting that his arrival at La Moneda sparked significant public response.

In Santiago, groups of protesters gathered in several parts of the capital, including the Alameda area and near La Moneda. Student protests also erupted in Ñuñoa, outside the Augusto D’Halmar High School, where a presidential event was taking place. The power transition in the capital was perceived not just as an institutional ceremony but also as a political and social conflict.

primera actividad de José Kast es recibido con Protestas en liceo Augusto D’Halmar.
Estudiantes advirtieron "posibles sanciones" ante "cualquier tipo de manifestación".

Estudiantes -menores- detenidas durante Inauguración del año escolar en el Augusto D’Halmar. Carabineros… pic.twitter.com/miY59U8sex

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 11, 2026

Detención de la menor M.S durante la primera actividad de José Kast es recibido con Protestas en liceo Augusto D’Halmar. https://t.co/lpGgM12EzY

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 11, 2026

11/3/2026 #ALERTA | A esta hora manifestaciones pacíficas en paseo Ahumada con la Alameda. pic.twitter.com/FwByal4O1S

— EL INFORMANTE CHILE (@ElInformante_CL) March 11, 2026

Lanzamiento indiscriminado de gas lacrimógena contra manifestantes, en inmediaciones de plaza Baquedano. (20:32) pic.twitter.com/9sPKm6Pbpj

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 11, 2026

AHORA Carabineros comienza a reprimir, con gas pimienta, carros lanzaaguas, con chorros directo al cuerpo y persecuciones aleatorias contra manifestantes antifascistas pacíficos (Alameda está cortada) en el centro de Santiago (20:19) pic.twitter.com/wH3Tzu5Vjv

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 11, 2026

Este es el ambiente a esta (20:12) hora en Santa Rosa esquina Alameda. Carabineros impide el avance de manifestantes ANTIFACISTAS al Palacio de La Moneda pic.twitter.com/lFJ4o2WmCj

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 11, 2026

AHORA | Manifestación anti fascista en Santa Rosa/Alameda (19:38) pic.twitter.com/jMZFxeVebd

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 11, 2026

In Valparaíso, the city that hosted the official ceremony at the National Congress, social organizations held protests in the center, coinciding with a significant police presence. Thus, while the presidential transition formalized within the legislative building, dissent against the new political cycle was also evident on the streets.

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

Una publicación compartida por Radio ADN (@adnchile)

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

Una publicación compartida por Valparaíso Informa (@valparaisoinforma)

Protests Following Kast’s Transition in Santiago and Beyond

The Protests Following Kast’s Transition were not confined to the Metropolitan Region. In Concepción, an antifascist march attracted about 80 participants in the city center, resulting in at least four arrests after clashes with civil order personnel. According to local reports, the mobilization took to the main streets, causing traffic disruptions at the intersection of Colo Colo with O’Higgins.

AHORA:

Protestas Antifascistas en Concepción, rechazando la llegada de José Antonio Kast a la Presidencia de la República https://t.co/pp2kLsLPM7 pic.twitter.com/7BDtkB2Avb

— (FRAPP) ANTIFASCISTA #AntiKast #OrgullosoDel42% (@Informa3Chile) March 12, 2026

CONCEPCION: Esta tarde cientos de personas, organizaciones sociales y estudiantiles realizaron manifestaciones contra José Kast pic.twitter.com/sPs8fBZVkP

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 12, 2026

In Temuco, capital of La Araucanía, a protest also took place in the city center, involving police intervention and detentions. Thus, the protests demonstrated a broader territorial reach, indicating that the rejection of the new government was not limited to Santiago.

CIVILES realizan detenciones en Temuco durante manifestaciones contra José Kast pic.twitter.com/Zz7FqYJH7b

— PIENSAPRENSA 359 mil Seguidores (@PiensaPrensa) March 12, 2026

A Government Launch Accompanied by Active Public Engagement

Protests unfolded alongside the formation of the new cabinet and the institutional display of the transition. In various cities, the police presence formed part of the scene of a day blending republican ceremony with expressions of social discontent.

Regardless of the specific scale of each protest, what transpired on the first day of the new government sends an early political signal: the public has already begun to react. From the capital to the regions, the commencement of the presidency was marked by visible tension between institutional staging and the initial expressions of rejection against the political project that has now arrived at La Moneda.

La entrada Kast Takes Office Amid Widespread Protests Across Santiago and Regions se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.