Chileans Riot On Anniversary Of Coup D’Etat Army Toasts Pinochet; Others Mourn His Victims

Army officers toasted Gen. Augusto Pinochet on the 23rd anniversary of his bloody coup and protesters mourning the thousands of political opponents killed during his regime clashed with police Wednesday.

The events underscore the deep divisions in Chile seven years after Pinochet stepped down - allowing the return of civilian rule.

Thick clouds of tear gas dispersed the mostly young demonstrators, who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police.

Authorities did not immediately report any injuries or arrests. Protesters torched the office of a right-wing political party and damaged traffic lights and signs.

Marchers were headed to the capital’s General Cemetery, the site of a memorial to the victims of Pinochet’s regime. The government says 3,197 people were assassinated during his rule from 1973 to 1990.

Earlier Wednesday, Pinochet - who still leads the army - was greeted during a ceremony at his house by a delegation of high-ranking officers, right-wing politicians and around 200 supporters. The 80-year-old general appeared pleased as he shook hands and heard a military band play his favorite marches.

“We feel proud of September 11, a date when Chile again became a free nation,” said Jovino Novoa, president of the right-wing Independent Democratic Union, which staunchly supports Pinochet.

Leftist politicians placed red carnations at a window of the presidential palace in memory of Salvador Allende, the elected Marxist president toppled by Pinochet. Allende died resisting the takeover of South America’s oldest democracy by the rebellious military.

Allende’s widow, Hortensia Bussi, said “there will be no reconciliation among Chileans unless the truth is known,” and human rights violators are brought to justice.

The coup anniversary is still a legal holiday, and a right-wing senate has blocked efforts by the government to repeal it. A clause in the constitution prevents the civilian president from firing Pinochet.