2023-09-12 13:19:57
In the cold of the southern winter, Chilean President Gabriel Boric places a red rose at the side entrance of the Moneda Palace. It was through this door that the remains of President Allende were taken out of the bombed palace on the morning of September 11, 1973.
After this intimate act with the family of Salvador Allende, Sunday September 10, the young president joined the traditional march organized by the families of the victims of the dictatorship. “This is the first time that a president has accompanied this march! “, comment on several national media.
Fifth president since the return to democracy in 1990, the former student leader marks the difference with his predecessors for the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the military coup of Augusto Pinochet and the fall of the government of Salvador Allende.
“He received us twice, and clearly has a distinct commitment to human rights,” tells Ester, widow of Alfonso Araya, who disappeared on September 9, 1976 in Santiago. On August 30, on the occasion of the International Day of Enforced Disappearances, the government had already launched the first search plan for the 1,462 detainees who had disappeared from the dictatorship.
The right refuses to sign the agreement to condemn the coup
At nightfall, on the eve of September 11, hundreds of women gathered around the Moneda, for a solemn act demanding the ” Never again “ (” Never more “). For two hours, they walked in a circle, candle in hand, like guardians of a fragile democracy.
Because fifty years later, Chile remains divided and fails to condemn the coup with one voice. Although he has obtained the signatures of the four other Chilean presidents since the return to democracy, the current head of state, Gabriel Boric, has not been able to convince the right-wing political parties (UDI and Republicans) to sign a agreement that condemns the coup and human rights violations during the dictatorship.
The most conservative fringe criticizes the government for imposing “a one-sided vision” Of the history. The UDI, a party founded in the midst of a dictatorship (1983) by Jaime Guzman, collaborator of Augusto Pinochet who wrote the 1980 Constitution, prefers to denounce “a democratic rupture” rather than a ” Rebellion “ in a published statement, for his part.
A minute of silence at 11:52 a.m.
This September 11, the tribute to Salvador Allende organized by left-wing parliamentarians at the National Congress provoked the indignation of the right-wing parties who left the chamber. Many believe that Allende precipitated Chile’s downfall when he took power and was therefore responsible for the coup.
Facing the Moneda Palace, the atmosphere was completely different. The 3,000 government guests observed a minute of silence at 11:52 a.m., the exact time the presidential palace was bombed fifty years ago. Then, interspersed with moving artistic moments, spokespersons for victims’ family associations and foreign heads of state (Mexico, Colombia, Portugal, etc.) expressed their support for guaranteeing democracy.
The majority of commemorative acts for September 11, 2023 were organized by civil society. The last one took place at the National Stadium of Santiago where thousands of people gathered for the memory of the victims of the dictatorship, the first of whom were locked up, tortured and murdered in this stadium.
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