Chilean Women Warn of Rights Risks Before Kast Takes Power

Tens of thousands of mothers, daughters and friends gathered in downtown Santiago early Sunday for an annual Women’s Day march, days before arch-conservative José Antonio Kast takes office in Latin America’s wealthiest nation.

Wrapped in purple and green bandanas, marchers danced and drummed through the streets, hoisting handwritten signs as chants echoed. Many warned the incoming administration could jeopardize hard-won reproductive and other rights — a concern distilled in this year’s slogan: “Not one step back, one hundred steps forward.”