Spread the Truth About the Uprising in Chile!
By a commentator for Tjen Folket Media.
TFM has spoken with several Norwegian-Chileans in the last week. They are closely following the events that are occurring in Chile now. They have connections with family and friends who live there and are participating in the uprising, and they participate in demonstrations here in Norway.
Oslo: Daglige demonstrasjoner for det chilenske folket
Like most Chileans in Norway, they came to Norway as refugees or are the children of refugees – driven out of Chile by the despotic Pinochet regime.
They insistently ask for help to spread the truth about the uprising in Chile. We urge our readers to take part in doing so as well!
“It is right to rebel” – banner at a demonstration in Oslo.
Norwegian Imperialism in Chile
All of those we spoke to say that Norwegian media is puzzlingly silent and poorly informed about the reality of the situation. The uprising is hardly being covered, and assaults by police and military receive particularly little attention. There is a great contrast between the news that is shared on social media, among them films of assaults, and what the media chooses to cover.
They point out two conditions that lie behind this. First, the Norwegian media bases itself on Chilean media, which is in the pocket of the state and the president Piñera. Second, Norwegian capital is deeply complicit in the exploitation of Chile. More than 60 Norwegian companies, primarily within fisheries, plunder Chile’s resources. One of those we spoke with reports that Chilean salmon is completely in the hands of Norwegian capital.
Therefore, it is no mystery as to why Norwegian media uses more time and space for the riots in Hong Kong than the nationally spanning uprising in Chile.
A Latin-American that TFM spoke with explains that Statkraft is active in Mapuche lands. The Mapuche are an indigenous people in Chile. They have their own flag, which can often be seen in demonstrations today. Our source tells us that Statkraft is attempting to buy off Mapuche leaders to secure access to dams in their territory.
Grave Assault Against the People
A Norwegian-Chilean we spoke with tells us that she wakes up early and goes to bed late in order to follow the news from Chile and to share information on the internet about what is happening. She, and others we have spoken with, report that the authorities have been shutting down websites and have been able to delete content. Mobile services have also been subject to restriction.
Furthermore, everyone we spoke to has told about grave assaults from the police and military. Hundreds of people have disappeared in the last weeks, just as it happened under Pinochet. Some of the disappeared have turned up as charred corpses in burned down houses. Pictures of police or military burning down homes with molotov cocktails have been published.
One of those we spoke with reports that a doctor who autopsied the bodies from one such burned-down house was able to reveal that the people had been killed before the house was burned down.
News has been spreading about violence and torture. Both men and women have been raped under arrest by the police, including anal rape with batons. As Norwegian media has reported, several tens of people have been reported killed.
People are shot at with rubber-coated steel balls, steel bearings, and videos have emerged of the military firing with live rounds.
An Anti-Imperialist Uprising
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the uprising continues. Youth from high schools and universities are in particular out on the streets. They have occupied their schools and they are now fighting against the authorities’ armed forces.
We can also see how clearly anti-imperialist the uprising is. It is orienting itself against US imperialism and also against colonialism. Statues of Spanish colonizers have been torn down, or spray-painted with “genocide”. President Piñera is pointed out as a lackey for US imperialism.
One of those that TFM spoke with has given us a tip about RAPMO, a solidarity group in Norway for indigenous peoples’ struggle in Chile. He says that they have been good about spreading news about what is happening.
He furthermore says that in Chile, people are split as they were under Pinochet. The bourgeoisie fears the uprising, calls people “vandals”, and defend the police’s right to use violence against the masses. Rapes are denied and videos are deleted. He goes on to tell that the police have infiltrated demonstrations and spread fake news when they themselves have set fire to shops and other properties.
A Norwegian-Chilean who is now in Chile says:
“Here in Chile, under the Pinochet dictatorship, a violent ultra-capitalist system was established to the benefit of the rich, and people were simply used as an instrument to make the rich even richer each year and the workers poorer! The blame rests on all European countries that have invested in Chile, along with Australia and the US.”
The Country is Sold to Imperialists
He says that Western states and companies have invested in Chile without paying taxes and operate with enormous profits. A part of this has gone to Chilean politicians and rulers, as a thanks for maintaining favorable rules.
He says that of the 29 major mines in Chile, only one is Chilean. Roads and transportation fees belong to Spain. The electricity belongs to the Italian company ENEL. The water is controlled by Spain. The salmon belongs to Norway.
We hear that Chile is the world’s second largest producer of farmed salmon, and that Norwegian companies pay workers in Chile crumbs when compared with what workers in Norwegian fisheries receive in Norway. It appears that Norwegian companies will produce much more salmon in Chile in the future.
There are mixed feelings among Chilean in Norway. There is overwhelming support to those who struggle and a fierce rage against the corrupt leaders in the country. But there are also many concerns about family and friends. It is a long way from Chile to Norway, but their hearts still beat at the same rhythm.
A Greeting from TFM
On behalf of Tjen Folket Media and all Norwegian revolutionaries, we send our warm greetings to those who struggle and all those who support them. The popular uprising in Chile is like a great roaring fire now, which glows for all the people of the world. A fire that unites itself with the fires of uprising in Ecuador, Haiti, Catalonia, Lebanon, and Iraq – and many other countries. The world’s people thirst and hunger for freedom.
The way forward will be painful, but it is better to die on one’s feet than to live on one’s knees, and the future is bright. The popular uprisings show the way to a time where the whole world will be united on a higher level.
