Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Chile: The Government’s New Law and Order Agenda Deepens its Rightward Turn

The growing demonstration of students and professors, who are now facing a turning point, have forced the government to close ranks with parliament, the mayors, the right wing, and the so-called New Majority, to put an end to the demonstrations.

Nicolas Miranda

July 2, 2015
Facebook Twitter Share

Photo: La Izquierda Diario Chile

Spanish version from La Izquierda Diario Chile, July 1st. 2015

The Chilean government has begun a new agenda with a series of measures against demonstrations, and has prepared yet again to discuss the implementation of arrest for reasons of “suspicion.”

Their attempts to turn demonstrations into fruitless dialogues have collided with the people’s willingness to struggle. They turned to the official leaderships for the same purpose, such as the change from the “removal” to “re-design” of the Carrera Profesional Docente (a regulation governing the career path of education workers in the form of evaluations and incentives) proposed by the president of the College of Professors, Jaime Gajardo. Despite these attempts, the grassroots organizers have maintained their mobilization.

In this terms, they began to reinforce the repressive and anti – mobilization measures that pairs up with a nod to the right and entrepreneurs, who started with the change of Government Cabinet, and is defined these days with the decision to “prioritize” the government program .

The now-ex minister Eyzaguirre said “I will not give in,” and his successor, Minister Adriana Delpiano, said she would not negotiate if the protests continue. The mainstream media outlets are campaigning against the student-teacher strike. The former Socialist Party president, Osvaldo Andrade, called on the government to demonstrate its “authority” by cutting the pay of teachers on strike and the eviction of the buildings that have been taken over by the students.

The rich districts of Santiago have called for “cacerolazos” * afraid of the “insecurity.”

In this reactionary climate, the discussion on citizen security has been reopened .

The Agenda of ‘Citizen Safety’

The Government announced that it will immediately discuss the agenda currently being deliberated by the public safety committee of the House and that should go to the Committee of the Constitution, after conducting a Public Security Council, where police chiefs were involved in the discussion.

The same police that have not yet given their “reports” on the repressive outrage of Rodrigo Aviles on 21 May, though there is video evidence in public circulation.
The Government would implement preventive control to combat identity crime, a measure that had been eradicated in the past. Definitely, an Agenda that fits the Right.

*Cacerolazos are demonstrations typically organized by the middle class and neighborhood organizations, which are characterized by the loud banging of pots and pans (cacerolas) in the street

Translation Laura Arguello

Facebook Twitter Share

Latin America

A square in Argentina is full of protesters holding red banners

48 Years After the Military Coup, Tens of Thousands in Argentina Take to the Streets Against Denialism and the Far Right

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on March 24 to demand justice for the victims of the state and the military dictatorship of 1976. This year, the annual march had renewed significance, defying the far-right government’s denialism and attacks against the working class and poor.

Madeleine Freeman

March 25, 2024

Declaration: End Imperialist Intervention in Haiti, Solidarity with the Haitian People

The “Multinational Security Support Mission” announced by the United States marks a new imperialist-colonial intervention in Haiti by the United States, the UN, and their allies.

The Fight against Javier Milei Has Set The Stage For a Whole New Wave of Struggle

The defeat of the Omnibus Law is a key victory for the movement against Javier Milei’s austerity plan and attacks on democratic rights. It shows that the working class and oppressed have the power to fight against the advance of the Far Right in Argentina and across the world.

Tatiana Cozzarelli

February 9, 2024

Defying Repression: Socialist Electeds in Argentina Show Us What Revolutionary Parliamentarism Looks Like

Workers in Argentina are defying police repression and fighting back against the far-right government’s shock therapy. Trotskyist members of congress are not just protesting inside the chamber — they are on the front lines of the demonstrations, getting pepper sprayed and shot with rubber bullets.

Nathaniel Flakin

February 9, 2024

MOST RECENT

The Convulsive Interregnum of the International Situation

The capitalist world is in a "permacrisis" — a prolonged period of instability which may lead to catastrophic events. The ongoing struggles for hegemony could lead to open military conflicts.

Claudia Cinatti

March 22, 2024

Berlin’s Mayor Loves Antisemites

Kai Wegner denounces the “antisemitism” of left-wing Jews — while he embraces the most high-profile antisemitic conspiracy theorist in the world.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 22, 2024

What “The Daily” Gets Right and Wrong about Oregon’s Move to Recriminalize Drugs

A doctor at an overdose-prevention center responds to The Daily, a podcast produced by the New York Times, on the recriminalization of drugs in Oregon. What are the true causes of the addiction crisis, and how can we solve it?

Mike Pappas

March 22, 2024

Lord Balfour Was an Imperialist Warmonger 

We should give our full solidarity to the Palestine Action comrade who defaced a portrait of Arthur Balfour at Cambridge University. But the problem for everyone who opposes the genocide against Gaza is how to massify and politically equip the movement.

Daniel Nath

March 21, 2024