Singer Mon Laferte Exposes Breasts At Latin Grammys To Protest Against Chilean State Violence

At the Latin Grammys held in Las Vegas recently, Chilean singer Mon Laferte uncovered her breasts as she walked on to the red carpet. She opened her black jacket to reveal the phrase 'In Chile, they torture, rape and kill' written across her chest.

Furthermore, when she accepted the award at the ceremony for best alternative album, she read a poem by a Chilean writer which says, 'Chile, your pain hurts me.'

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The 36-year-old singer-songwriter made her silent protest against police brutality. Protests over political exclusion and economic inequality have been going on Chile for about a month now. More than 20 people have lost their lives in the unrest -- at least five of them at the hands of state forces, who have also been accused of torture, rape and indiscriminate violence during the crackdown.

The situation is worsened as hundreds of people have been blinded after being shot with pellet guns by riot police. Thousands of them were arrested. Though, most of them were released soon.

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After attending the event, the singer posted a picture on Instagram and wrote, "My body free for a free homeland."

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Not only Mon Laferte, several other eminent personalities in the country including several musicians and sportsperson have been outspoken in their expression of support for the protests.

The protests started over a hike in subway fares and transformed into demands for sweeping changes to the economic and political model established by the dictator August Pinochet.

Earlier this week, players with the national football team announced they would not participate in next week's friendly against Peru. The protest has also reached Chile's national jiu-jitsu team after players Iván León and Cristian Araya unfurled protest banners on the podium after winning bronze in a match against Argentina.

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Protesters won a significant victory early on Friday when the national congress agreed to hold a referendum next year to replace the constitution, but it was unclear if that move would be enough to placate the wave of fury against the embattled president, Sebastian Pinera.

With inputs from IANS