Chile student protesters face new threat

Students in the Chilean capital demanding education reform have recently seen their 18-month-long mass demonstrations calling for improved education standards slapped with new official threats.

Pablo Zalaquett, Santiago mayor, has threatened to withdraw the scholarships of students participating in the occupation of schools.

Students in the Chilean capital have recently seen their 18-month-long mass demonstrations calling for improved education standards slapped with new official threats.

Pablo Zalaquett, Santiago mayor, has threatened to withdraw the scholarships of students participating in the occupation of schools.

Further, a new regulation, the Hintzpeter Law, as the law has been derisively called in reference to the nation's unpopular interior minister, would replace fines with obligatory prison sentences of up to three years for those who block traffic or occupy buildings in protest.

Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman reports from Santiago.