Science Minister Ximena Lincolao was physically assaulted and trapped for nearly three hours by student protesters during the academic year inauguration at Universidad Austral de Chile in Valdivia on April 8. Protesters blocked exits, threw objects including a pot lid injuring her head and arm, and doused her with water. The government filed a criminal lawsuit for assault on authority, while the university condemned the violence and launched an internal investigation.
Science Minister Ximena Lincolao was invited to present her ministry's guidelines at the academic year inauguration on Universidad Austral de Chile's Isla Teja campus. Around 11:30, after her talk, students protesting cuts to postgraduate scholarships and higher education funding under President José Antonio Kast's government escalated actions by blocking exits to the Aula Magna around 12:30, trapping the minister, PDI officers, university authorities, and her team for nearly three hours.
Lincolao attempted dialogue, including 20 minutes with student representatives like Daniela Carvajal of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, but tensions rose. Protesters entered the auditorium, threw water and heavy objects such as a pot lid, and later shoved and insulted her while attempting to leave around 15:00, injuring her head and arm.
Rector Egon Montecinos mediated repeatedly, prioritizing dialogue over police intervention. The university deployed security and denied blocking Carabineros entry despite requests, stating no formal petitions were received. PDI officers led by Prefect José Miguel Cea and Navy personnel facilitated her evacuation around 14:45 in an official vehicle.
In La Moneda, Undersecretaries Máximo Pavez and Andrés Jouannet monitored developments. Interior Minister Claudio Alvarado called the events 'absolutely unacceptable,' announcing the lawsuit sponsored by the Ministry of Public Security. President Kast condemned it as the work of an 'ideologized group' aiming to 'silence and intimidate,' contacted Lincolao, and warned of consequences. The Los Ríos Regional Prosecutor's Office tasked PDI's BIPE with the probe. Lincolao urged revoking aggressors' social benefits like university gratuidad and linked the incident to the 'Escuelas Protegidas' bill for tougher penalties on school violence.
The university rectorate and board, chaired by Marcela Villenas Obreque, condemned the assault, apologized, and announced an internal investigation with potential sanctions up to expulsion, pledging cooperation with authorities. Broader reactions included condemnations from the Senate, Superintendencia de Educación Superior, Evelyn Matthei, and Daniel Manouchehri (PS). The Science Ministry confirmed Lincolao is in good health and continuing her regional tour.
