Police and demonstrators clashed on Tuesday as hundreds of people tried to force their way into Congress, where Chilean President Ricardo Lagos was delivering his state of the union address. Six people were injured, including two police officers, and 181 people were arrested during the demonstration, which lasted around two hours.

Some 3,500 students and workers gathered outside Congress, where a plenary session was listening to Lagos promise in his televised speech not to cut government spending, despite the country's economic difficulties.

The unruly crowd trashed a local McDonalds restaurant, seen by some Chileans as a symbol of US capitalism. The assailants also ransacked a nearby telephone exchange.
Police reinforcements were rushed to the scene to protect other establishments from being damaged. Bureau Report