Chile's wounded look to referendum a year on from start of protests

Felipe Riquelme, 41, stands in front of a defaced monument to the Chilean police, the spot where he was hit by a tear gas canister that left him blind in one eye, as he participated in social protests last year. SANTIAGO: Nothing will restore their sight, but a year after the start of Chile's tumultuous social protests and as the country prepares for a landmark referendum, several protesters who suffered eye injuries believe their loss will not be in vain.

With the one-year anniversary of the start of the protests approaching on Sunday , and with the referendum a week later, some victims see the events as"the beginning of the end" of Pinochet-era inequality, during which economic power was concentrated in the hands of a core of Chile's wealthiest families.

Nicole Kramm, 30, poses in front of a protest mural for the victims of security force violence during the social protests that began last year. With a patch over his sightless eye, he says he feels"grief, anger and frustration" over not knowing who shot him. However, it won't stop him"going back on the street," he said.

The political agreement that allowed the referendum to take place is nothing more than an offering of"crumbs" when protesters could have"the whole cake," he said.It happened during a confrontation with police on Plaza Italia.

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