*Chile Protest Photos
*http://cryptome.org/info/chile-protest3/chile-protest3.htm
---------------------------------
Chile Court orders protection for student leader
The Associated Press
[image: University of Chile student president Camila Vallejo looks on
during a protest in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011. Students have
been striking for more than two months and marching by the tens of thousands
calling for free and equal quality education.]
Luis Hidalgo / AP Photo
University of Chile student president Camila Vallejo looks on during a
protest in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011. Students have been
striking for more than two months and marching by the tens of thousands
calling for free and equal quality education.
A student protest leader in Chile now has police protection after receiving
death threats by Twitter.
Camila Vallejo is president of the University of Chile's student federation.
She has repeatedly used Twitter to mobilize huge marches for education
reform.
But she also has received death threats through social networks - including
a message from a high-ranking culture ministry official who invoked the
infamous phrase Gen. Augusto Pinochet used while toppling President Salvador
Allende in 1973. *Pinochet was recorded telling his troops: "If you kill the
bitch, you do away with the litter."*
Chile's Supreme Court ordered police to protect Vallejo and her parents. The
court also sanctioned the official who sent the message.
------------------------------
Read more:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/23/v-print/2371838/chile-court-orders-protection.html#ixzz1WArgSiZP
--------------------------------------
Art*icle below is from the Bolivian section of the International Marxist
Tendency by José Pereira CMI-Bolivia, please excuse poor google translation
below.*
**
*For orgininal in Spanish go to url:*
http://bolivia.elmilitante.org/internacional-topmenu-29/amrica-latina-topmenu-31/387-chile-pinera-desoye-y-provoca-a-los-estudiantes-iavanzar-hacia-el-paro-nacional.html
Chile: Piñera ignores and causes students to the National Strike
Advance!<http://bolivia.elmilitante.org/internacional-topmenu-29/amrica-latina-topmenu-31/387-chile-pinera-desoye-y-provoca-a-los-estudiantes-iavanzar-hacia-el-paro-nacional.html>
[image:
Print]<http://bolivia.elmilitante.org/internacional-topmenu-29/amrica-latina-topmenu-31/387-chile-pinera-desoye-y-provoca-a-los-estudiantes-iavanzar-hacia-el-paro-nacional.html?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=>
[image:
E-mail]<http://bolivia.elmilitante.org/component/mailto/?tmpl=component&link=c8fed2697d9021716f19897360e3c579ad823bd7>
Written
by Jose Pereira
Wednesday August 24, 2011 21:41
Today August 24 Chile's workers went on strike for 48 hours overall, joining
facto mobilization of students. Here is an article written by comrade José
Pereira CMI-Bolivia and originally published on August 17 in our
international website In Defence of Marxism <http://www.marxists.com/> to
explain the conflicting situation in Chile, the scope and the great
possibilities of the wonderful student movement Chilean workers and rightist
government against Piñera and the transformation of the economic model was
implemented in Chile after the Pinochet dictatorship.
On Thursday August 11 Chilean President Sebastián Piñera enacted a new Law
on Quality Assurance in Education with a tricky and challenging speech,
addressed to the movement of Chilean students and workers for nine weeks
remains demanding free education and a country with equality and social
justice. This umpteenth provocation, while maintaining the schedule of
demonstrations and occupations of universities and colleges, only serves to
further heat the air in preparation for the general strike proclaimed by the
CUT for 24 and 25 August, which bills itself decisive for the future
development of the movement.
*The new law*
The new Law on Quality Assurance of Education instituted two public entities
- the Superintendent and the Agency for Quality [image: Piñera a caricature
of Latuff]Education - should oversee the administration of all educational
institutions that receive state funding and evaluating the quality of
education offered based on common standards. These entities employ around
800 staff nationwide and would institute to cost about $ 68 million. Contrary
to what was said by Piñera, the Act does not contain any of the instances
and demands of students, teachers and workers were mobilized during these
months.
Piñera's speech to enact this law is a clumsy attempt to counter the student
movement with the most failed neoliberal precepts. According to Piñera " *we
all want education, health and many more things were free for everyone, but
I remember that-after all, nothing is free in life, someone has to pay ...
if we give free education to 10% favored of our society, we would be doing
is that the whole of society, including the poorest, with their taxes, would
fund the education of the lucky ones* . "
Thus, according to Piñera, to avoid giving free education to the wealthiest
10% of the population that has to do is prevent access to economic education
to the majority of the people and children of workers, peasants and middle
class . And forget to remember the focus of the question, and today " *the
whole of society, including the poorest* "of Chile has to take charge - bank
debt - more than 80% of the cost of higher education which comes from years
in overcrowded educational facilities tax. This attempt to mystify the
privilege for social justice is one of the most irritating speech Piñera.
*Education: a right or a commodity?*
Piñera also pledged to make further legislative action to regulate the issue
of interest rates on the loans that banks give to students - now around 6%,
being even higher than home mortgage loans - and to fund debt delinquent
more than 100,000 students who have committed their future debt with private
banks. This paternal government limosneo right tries to misrepresent the
issue demonstrating available to correct alleged abuses of the system.
The quality, free education is a fundamental right, such as health, work,
housing and so on. Education is the most important driver of material and
spiritual progress of the human community. He understood well the
bourgeoisie in its revolutionary stage, when financed the formation of
secular schools that would enable it to acquire new knowledge and
technologies. The institution of public education, the conquest of the
bourgeois revolution which would form the new Civics, to go a huge leap in
the development of science and technology.
Public schools, free for all was instead a revolutionary conquest of the
labor movement - still producing material wealth - just claimed the same
rights to free themselves and improve their social status. This social goal
today is attacked worldwide by the effects of an economic crisis in which
speculators and entrepreneurs place on governments to compensate their
financial losses and implement social spending cuts.
*Quality education for the people with equality! *
Education, or is a right and must therefore be guaranteed, or is a
commodity, as claimed by bourgeois economists and government Pinera, whose
willingness to intervene on behalf of disadvantaged students in any way does
not remove the character class education in Chile. Offers of Piñera not
prevent a further group of workers having to decide which children can
explore, while still allowing the wealthiest top universities and colleges,
as well as allow better houses, cars, health center etc..
How, exactly, was affirmed by Camila Vallejo, the leader of the Chilean
university, with its refusal to address the issue of free education, Piñera
is only proving that rules for businessmen and bankers to speculate on the
topic of education. Students and Chilean workers require, however, quality
education for the people and equal.
Piñera said " *someone must pay* "and as all the bourgeois governments are
intended to those who pay the workers and the people. Students and Chilean
workers want the state to take charge of education, renationalising copper
and raising taxes on banks and companies in 2010 took an amount
corresponding to 80% of the national budget, with no minimum benefit to the
people and intensifying labor exploitation. This is the central issue, this
is the same class struggle from Chile to Europe, Arab countries and Israel,
inflames the capitalist world in its decline.
*Little carrot sticks and many*
In addition, calls for dialogue Piñera government can not really fool
anyone. The repression of the police has reached disproportionate levels of
violence so that even an international agency such as UNICEF had to publicly
express their concern and disapproval. Any kind of concentration, even
further away from the student movement, is dissolved by the police based on
the most hated remnants of the dictatorship, as the Homeland Security Act.
On the evening of Friday August 5 attempted to enter the police force in the
Chilean Communist Party headquarters in Santiago, saying that it was used as
a refuge for students (¡!). Not satisfied with this grave provocation the
police fired at the same venue CPC tear gas. Across the country the
criminalization of student leaders goes hand in hand with the repression of
all gears. It is almost 2000 detainees, and dozens wounded in several
clashes.
Hinzpeter Interior Minister - that bypasses the impeachment advanced by
socialist and communist deputies, the incidents at the headquarters of the
CPC - summoned the leaders of small traders in Santiago to introduce a bill
that toughens crackdown police and the penalties for "hooded," the mayor of
Santiago invoked the right of intervention of the armed forces. Moreover,
the Minister of Education presented a "plan to save the school year," which
allows college students to spend class taken in other settings, with the
clear intent of provoking reactions from parents.
All this indicates most clearly that the government, compared to wild
student movement and the strike called by the CUT, is trying to play with
the *impasse* in which it is mobilization, and a series of pretexts is
trying to alert the most reactionary middle-class social base for use as a
harsher crackdown. Students and workers must prepare for this eventuality.
*The mobilization and violence*
An exclusive special TeleSur among celebrities showed how "hooded" to
provoke the reaction of the police, justifying their abuses, undercover
agents were present the same intelligence services of the Chilean police. This
is a practice in vogue among governments facing popular mobilization, not
surprising in the least. Yet this same issue and the very real possibility
that the preparation of a repressive escalation in the country makes the
whole movement to a political problem, the question of how to defend
themselves while preserving their right to demonstrate.
A document signed by some 50 social organizations, unions and the CUT
<http://www.pcchile.cl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2951&Itemid=2>declared
" *calls us to care deeply, despite intelligence work within marches,
violent groups acting with complete impunity continues* . " Understand the
character deliberately provocative and poignant of these lines, but these
issues can not generate misunderstandings. The movement may not want to
state repression "selective" of violence, but to be isolated, isolating the
infiltrators and politically autonomous, as part of a necessary and further
leap in quality that the struggle required in preparation and consolidation
of the national strike the 24th and 25th August.
*The national strike on August 24/25 *
[image: Miners' national strike July 11, 2011]The national unemployment
reaches the CUT after a conference in April that, analyzing the situation in
Chile, the intensification of labor exploitation and increasing
inequalities, proclaimed 2011 as "Year of social mobilization." There is no
doubt that having the first front wing government since the elections has
allowed free trade union leaders begin to speak with greater freedom,
reflecting the tensions accumulated in the bases that the same Congress
could only partially represented, as delegates were appointed from above
rather than elected by the grassroots.
The national strike, initially called for October, was moved up to August
the situation in the country generated by the student movement and active
participation in the various employment sectors. First, miners - strategic
sector of the Chilean economy - such as CODELCO who stopped July 11
demanding the re-nationalization of copper, or the Escondida mine - the
largest copper mine in the world, owned by British capital - which marched
alongside students under the motto "nationalize the copper for free
education."
The strike was called originally to stop the wave of layoffs in the public
and private sectors, the government initiated Piñera and cuts and to demand
wage increases of 10% versus 5% offered by the presidential cabinet. However,
there is no doubt that the environment in the country to much more than
that. Even in these days before there are strikes of workers in banks,
transport companies and so on. Opinion polls indicate that the government
Piñera is a historic level of public disapproval, which can easily be
demonstrated with the amount of gear parents, workers and so on. Against the
violent repression of the student movement.
*Forward, forward, workers and students*
The direction of the CUT must abandon any undue caution and instead use
these days of preparation for the strike and the strike itself, to
consolidate and structure its ties with the student movement, a more
advanced release of claims, and propose publicly objective of the fall of
this government. The time you give the government serves only to enable the
latter to seek social support its repressive efforts, and wasted time in
building a broad front that challenges the precepts of neoliberal and
capitalist economy on which governed Chile since the 1973 coup.
It is necessary that the worker-student unity, now lives in self-control
efforts of miners' unions and students, or the participation of unions in
local marches, becomes setpoint actually reflected in Committees of
Struggle, or assembly workers -student. It is not only appropriate, it is
actually possible now take this vital step for the movement as evidenced by
the facts.
These Committees or Assemblies should take the actual direction of movement,
discussing and taking an advanced program of struggle for education, free
health care and housing for working families, the nationalization of copper,
the repeal of the laws of the dictatorship still in place , tax reform and
so on. Should have responsibility to isolate the troublemakers and
infiltrated with security cordons and order services that are fully
legitimate when they are founded on genuine participatory democracy
organizations. The general strike of the CUT is an important occasion for
all this.
*What is the solution to the conflict?*
Most remarkable of all the mobilization of Chilean students is their ability
to stay on fighting for more than two months, [image: CUT strike demanding a
referendum on education and constitutional reform]gaining increasing support
among the population and the working class, without having achieved
virtually turn back the government. Piñera and the coalition that supports
it has shown clearly what powers social interests and respond to those
businessmen and foreign capital, and the most privileged sectors of the
population. This is clear in the eyes of all people, as evidenced by opinion
polls that give approval to Piñera vertical drop.
>From the student leaders, the CUT and parties like the Socialist Party,
particularly, I propose a referendum to determine the solution to the
conflict education. It is an option that even Piñera could weigh against an
escalation of the protests uncontrollable. But a popular referendum would
not wage increases, not nationalize the copper would not make a tax reform
with a strongly progressive tax on income higher. Its most immediate effect
would simply return the floor to the parties that intervene with all their
equipment in the proceedings of the consultation, demobilizing and dividing
the battlefront.
*Until the fall of the government Piñera!*
Students and workers, the CUT, the PS and the CPC at this stage must
necessarily be the goal of the overthrow of Piñera and its replacement by a
government party of the working class, based on a genuine socialist program
collect the multiple demands of students, social workers, who get up in the
demonstration. Only then will the movement be able to demonstrate the
maturity necessary to give a real perspective to fight for all the Chilean
people and their worries about deep social transformations.
It is another object entirely to the range of motion. If the government
continues to Piñera's only because while losing support in the society is
gaining in Parliament, to the detriment of the fictional unity of the
opposition Coalition of Parties for Democracy, a coalition of bourgeois
parties that ruled by the PS Chile during the last 20 years. The law
recently enacted by Parliament Piñera was voted in with a vote against
communists, socialists and radicals, as voted for the Christian Democratic
Party abstained and the Party for Democracy. The PDC went even further,
meeting separately with Piñera for discussion of policy convergence.
The SP leadership wrongly decided to follow the PDC in the same vein, the
government proposed a meeting that raised some reforms to revitalize
democracy in Chile: a referendum, constitutional reform and the repeal of
the binomial system in particular. Actually, more to give perspective to the
movement of workers and students it is removing PS, providing a crutch and
legitimized by the government to pursue the goal of maintaining unity in the
coalition prevails in its right wing as PDC. We are confident that, while
the SP leadership following the PDC in its field, socialists and workers and
students wonder about the real future of the coalition. You can not have as
an ally to someone who is your adversary in the struggle.
In short, the movement of students and Chilean workers are having great
social and political repercussions. The Chilean people have their eyes
clearly targeted on students and workers because their courage,
determination and ability to fight for the true needs for education, health,
housing and so on. The people are watching a real alternative, after years
of disappointment parties. This is the great strength of the protests and
the great responsibility that rests with students and Chilean workers. The
strike next week will quickly become political strike to fully assume this
responsibility and the possibilities it brings.
Chilean student protests snowballing into political revoltPublished: Aug.
25, 2011 at 2:46 PM
SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Chilean student protests are snowballing
into a political storm with President Sebastian Pinera finding himself right
at the center of it and not liking it.
The millionaire president, who retains vast business interests but swears by
arrangements aimed at avoiding conflicts of interests, faced widening revolt
this week after increasing numbers of labor union members and teachers threw
their support behind students.
Protesters' representatives said their calls for general strikes across the
country received greater attention than anticipated. As the protests grow,
the lists of reforms demanded by those taking part in street marches and
work stoppages are multiplying.
Rather than relent, Pinera said he was pained to see "those working so hard
to paralyze Chile."
A central union of workers added to general calls for education reforms a
longer list of changes, which includes a redrafting of the constitution and
statutes to remove what critics see as vestiges of the past military
dictatorial regimes, notably the highly controversial rule of Gen. Augusto
Pinochet from 1973-90.
Pinera came to power in March 2010 after a democratic election that
displaced hugely popular Michelle Bachelet. He pledged sweeping
modernization and promised to bring Chileans into the 21st century with
economic liberalization, state investment in gigantic development projects
and transformation of a society bedeviled by sharp economic disparities.
Pinera saw his plans founder when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the
country in February 2010, causing tens of millions of dollars of damage and
destruction. Pinera led a swift economic and social regeneration but the
work used up cash reserves he hoped to use for the promised march to
progress.
Critics question Pinera's style of government and claim he lacks
communication skills necessary to engage with all strata of Chilean society.
The Unitary Central for Workers called for a nationwide strike for the
second consecutive day Thursday and invited other unions to join the protest
action.
Thousands of protesters barricaded roads and burned tires and debris as the
strike went into full swing. Officials put the law enforcement agencies on
alert to prevent a repetition of protests earlier in August that
deteriorated into violent clashes between police and demonstrators.
Student protests against high tuition fees began about two months ago and
focused on private academic institutions operating with impunity, alleged
corruption and favoritism in the education system.
Both the Interior Ministry and law enforcement commanders faced angry
charges that unarmed protesters received beatings, summary detentions and
abusive treatment in police custody.
Protest leaders said they hoped to make the rallies "the biggest national
strike of the last decade." It is the first 48-hour national strike since
the Pinochet dictatorship.
Government spokesman Andres Chadwick said police defused some protests and
claimed the situation was normal beyond traffic disruptions.
Finance Minister Felipe Larrain called the protest illegal and warned of a
damaging impact on Chile's economic and social fabric.
The Chilean economy may be losing up to $200 million a day, officials said.
Analysts said Pinera's decision to fill his Cabinet with technocrats and
business experts might be well-intentioned but the lack of public savvy
political negotiators appears to be alienating many Chileans. A Cabinet
reshuffle in July, the second since Pinera assumed office last year, failed
to defuse tensions.
The outcome of the protests is likely to hinder the president's move to push
through sweeping economic reforms, including plans to integrate Chile more
comprehensively with the global markets.
Chile was badly hit by the 2008 economic crisis. Critics blamed the
country's connectivity with international markets for the problems faced
after the economic downturn.
© 2011 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Read more:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/25/Chilean-student-protests-snowballing-into-political-revolt/UPI-86511314298000/print/#ixzz1WAw62VIb
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