Nunca fuimos los jaguares de América Latina: apuntes sobre la insurrección chilena y mapuche de octubre

Abstract

On October 18, 2019, the most important political scenario since the end of Pinochet’s dictatorship opened up in Chile. Thousands of people —tired of the inequalities of the neoliberal model and the growing privatization of social rights— took hold of the streets in the capital, when Sebastian Piñera’s government attempted to raise the fare of public transport. The demonstrations quickly spread throughout Chile and into the territories of the Mapuche people. The government responded with aggressive repression and unprecedentedly militarized the country. This repressive strategy left near to thirty people dead and thousands wounded and in political prison. However, such measures were insufficient to cease the protests, and the issue forced the political establishment to initiate a democratic process whose popular aspiration is to change the constitution inherited from the dictatorship.