Chile: violent repression against memorial march

The Chilean military police (carabineros) brutally repressed a march in homage to the victims of the fascist dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. 

When the march, which transited peacefully through Santiago de Chile, arrived to the cemetery, police attacked them with tear gas for no apparent reason. 

"We will destroy the legacy of Pinochet"

Source: Webguerrillero[es].


Update (Sep 11): Video of the march and the brutal unprovoked repression (this last begins at min. 7:00) 

Chile: torturer physicians' list is made public

A list with the names of 36 physicians who tortured political prisoners under Pinochet's Fascist-Thatcherist regime has come to light. Many of them still exert their profession freely. 

The full list is available in Spanish language at WPChile and Webguerrillero.

Wallmapu: Mapuche People take what is theirs

In several areas of Ngulu Mapu (Mapuche Country) the people are taking what is collectively theirs and was robbed by the imperialist Chilean state and their colonial private agents since 1880.

The recuperation includes private ranches, forest plantations and lands attributed to the state. The Chilean media has remained silent.

Source: Borroka Garaia Da![es] (incl. video).

Chile: police forcibly evicts more than 20 schools occupied by students

In the early hours of Thursday the Chilean military police (carabineros) proceeded to the eviction of more than 20 schools occupied by its students in protest against the commercialization of education. In most of the centers the students were evicted without further incidents but in some there have been denounces of police brutality. 

For example in the girls' school Carmela Carvajal, Providencia, the 16 students were arrested in front of their relatives and have denounced excesses by the police. In the Darío Salas high school students got to the roof and hurled objects against the soldiers that tried to get them down using tear gas. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Chile: workers and students strike together

Miners, teachers, dock and healthcare workers have gone on strike today in Chile, along with high school and university students. The demands are focused on free quality education for all, labor rights, dignified jobs and healthcare.

While the leading force in this strike is the Student Confederation (CONFECH), these have been getting closer and closer to labor organizations in the last several years in the course of struggles against privatizations imposed by the neo-Pinochetist President Piñera. This way the General Union of Dock Workers (UNTP), the Teachers' College, the Confederation of Copper Workers (CTC), the Unitary Workers Central (CUT) have joined student organizations in this strike, bringing class struggle in the Andean country one step ahead. 

Three marches will converge today at the center of Santiago de Chile, while the popular organizations are working in order to express the anger in multiple ways at each location. 

This strike is also a preparation for the General Strike of July 11th. 

Source LINyM[es].

Chile: huge student protests (again) - updated: 30 arrested, 20 injured

Hundreds of thousands marched through Santiago and other cities (Concepción, Talca, Los Ángeles, Chillán, Valparaíso) of the South American state in demand of free quality public education for all. 

The president of the Student Federation of the University of Chile, Andrés Fielbaum, declared about the upcoming presidential elections, that:

It would seem that the candidates live in another country and have not hear the demands of the majority of this country and keep believing that education is good business for the majority. 

Similarly Isabel Salgado (ACES) said:

We want to tell the candidates that none of them represents us, that this movement is autonomous. Therefore their proposals are useless for us unless they would dare to promote structural change.

Diego Vela of the Student Federation of the Catholic University attacked the post-fascist constitution of the country, which acts as a lock against change. 

In the main demonstration at Santiago, there were some squabbles between police forces and a fraction of the students but compared with previous occasions this time the mobilization was quite peaceful.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Update: police violence after the march was important again. Some 20 people have been injured and at least 30 arrested.

Some of the worst clashes took place in Mapocho (north of Santiago), where citizens responded to police water cannons and gas canisters with rocks and petrol bombs. Luxury shops and bank offices were attacked as well.

Police also attacked the campus of the University of Chile, where an anti-government meeting was to take place, against the will of the rector, who dubbed it "unacceptable" and "aggression with impunity".

→ Webguerrillero[es].

Chile: 19 universities occupied by students

Some 19 campuses, both public and private, have been occupied by Chilean students, who continue in their indefatigable struggle to secure a public, free and quality education in their country.

While student struggle has been dramatically active in Chile the last several years, the movement felt impelled to give a new impulse to their struggle as the arrogant President Piñera (Christian-Democrat) declared on May 21s that he would not guarantee free public education. 

A new national student strike has been called by the Student Confederation (ConfECh) for June 26th.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Chile: students occupy faculty

Yesterday a group of students occupied the main building of the University of Chile. Their declared intention is to denounce and reject the deterioration  of public education in the South American country.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Chile: more police attacks against student marches

Chilean military police (carabineros) violently attacked again freedom of expression and protest in Santiago. The student demonstration was scheduled to march to the Heroes Plaza after marching through the Alameda, the city's main street, but was brutally repressed (again) by the police-soldiers, who arrested 600. 

The government had explicitly forbidden the march through the Alameda in a clear attempt to hide the student protests that are the major challenge that the extremist right-winger President Piñera faces. All previous demonstrations have used this major street as avenue to show their discontent.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Update (Jun 1): video available at Madriz Rebelde[es].

Chile: police repression of student protests

From the larger photo-gallery at Webguerrillero:

Chile: students occupy faculties

Law students in Valparaíso have occupied their faculty in demand of free quality education for all, with emphasis on the increased difficulties to apply for public grants (dozens of students are expected to lose their grants under the new measures of the far-right government). 

They have called to fellow students elsewhere to do the same. 

Economics students have already joined the protest. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].