Far-Right Foro Madrid Summit Opens in Santiago With Kast and Milei, Draws Protests

The V Regional Encounter of Foro Madrid — a gathering of roughly 40 far-right leaders from 25 countries organized by Vox's Fundación Disenso — opened September 3–4 at the Centro de Eventos San Carlos de Apoquindo in Santiago, inaugurated by President Kast and Javier Milei under the slogan 'Una nueva era para Iberoamérica' and welcomed by Vox secretary-general Ignacio Garriga. The summit addressed security, the economy, international politics and 'defense of Western values,' closing with a 'Declaración de Santiago de Chile' meant to set a cooperation roadmap for participating right-wing forces; CIPER Chile documented that several Foro Madrid leaders and invitees have previously called to 'hunt' migrants, criminalize abortion and shoot pro-Palestinian activists. Student, feminist, union and left-wing organizations mobilized protests in Santiago and Valparaíso against the summit's opening, framing it alongside opposition to Kast's security reform.