Anarchist Group Amsterdam and Joe’s Garage collective are organizing two events in Amsterdam in solidarity with protests in Chile.
Chile is one of the wealthiest and unequal countries in Latin America at the same time. 1% of the population in Chile controls 26.5% of the country’s wealth, while 50% of low-income households access 2.1%.
Despite this fact, in October 2019 the Chilean government decided to increase public transport fares by 4% ignoring its social significance. It led to the protests and the biggest civil unrest having occurred in Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship. People’s demands quickly grew from keeping public transport fares to more broad anti-neoliberal claims. The government replied with Excessive use of force. As of 26 October, 19 people have died, nearly 2,500 have been injured, and 2,840 have been arrested. Human rights organizations have received several reports of violations conducted against protesters, including torture, sexual abuse, and rape. According to Amnesty International, “the intention of the Chilean security forces is clear: to injure demonstrators in order to discourage protest.”. In fact, they didn’t succeed and protests are still happening until the present day.
To learn more about events happening in Chile and express your solidarity please come to our events:
Saturday, February 22, 18:00, Bollox, Eerste Schinkelstraat 14-16, Amsterdam – info talk from Chile/Belgian collective
Sunday, March 1, Joe’s Garage, Pretoriusstraat 43, Amsterdam – food and movie night