Police used tear gas and water cannons Tuesday to scatter about 2,000 students protesting in a Santiago suburb, but the government said the surprise demonstration was unrelated to the massive student protests that rocked Chile in May and June, AP reported. The students, who were demanding more resources for 21 schools in the Santiago suburb of Maipu, started the protest peacefully by marching toward the regional office of the Education Ministry. But they soon began throwing rocks at police and passing cars, and destroying traffic signs. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons. The clash lasted for about one hour. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Education Minister Yasna Provoste said Tuesday's protest by about 2,000 teenagers had no relation to the three weeks of demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of high school students across Chile demanding educational reform. The wave of protests earlier this year became known as the «Penguin Revolution,» after the students' black and white school uniforms.
