Varparaiso, February 24 (RHC)-- The Viña del Mar International Song Festival, which is held every year in the Chilean city of Valparaiso, began this Sunday amid violent demonstrations in the surroundings of the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater, home of the most important musical event on the American continent. 

Just minutes before Viña 2020 began, with the presentation of Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin on the Quinta Vergara stage, hundreds of people gathered in the Plaza Sucre in Viña del Mar to protest against the government of Sebastian Piñera.

The demonstration, which was part of the social upheaval that began in Chile last October, was repressed by the Chilean police forces, the Carabineros.

During the first day of the Festival, a group of people threw objects at the Hotel O'Higgins, located in front of Plaza Latorre in Viña del Mar, near the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater.  The windows and other structures on the hotel's façade were damaged, and most of the items thrown were reportedly fire extinguishers. 

During the inauguration of the Viña del Mar Festival, which began despite the disturbances, Ricky Martin did not stand out for performing the repertoire of his great hits on the Quinta Vergara stage, but for his messages of support for the demonstrations that are shaking Chile.

The 61st edition of the event, which is being held through Friday in Viña del Mar, will this year feature other internationally renowned artists, such as Mon Laferte, Ana Gabriel, Pablo Alborán, Maroon 5, Ozuna and Pimpernel.