It began in Chile. For months, protesters have been marching against economic inequality and austerity. Led by the youth, the movement has been in the streets—protesters are banging pots and pans, carrying out general strikes, setting up barricades, and fighting against the repressive police.
The state has used brutal tactics to quash the uprising, and there have been hundreds of denunciacions of sexual assault by the police while in custody. 200 cases of sexual violence have already been officially documented, and over 100 legal motions have been filed against authorities for sexual assault and rape. But the women in Chile are not staying quiet; they are denouncing patriarchy and the repressive state with their bodies and their voices.
Left Voice has been on the ground in Chile, reporting from the streets and interviewing protesters and our comrades of the Partido de Trabajadores Revolucionarios. Help support our coverage!
The performances of “A Rapist in Your Way” are a powerful show of women’s protest against state brutality and sexual violence. Most, though not all, of the participants are women. They wear blindfolds to bring attention to the cruelty of the Chilean police, who have been shooting protesters in the eyes, inflicting serious injuries, blinding nearly 250 people. The participants also wear green scarves, a symbol of the fight for reproductive rights.
The choreographed dance, also called “The Rapist Is You” has made its way to other countries in Latin America, to Kenya, to the U.S., and to European and Middle Eastern countries. Like the women performing the piece, the words of the song point directly at the institutions of the state—the police, the courts, the government—denouncing their role in the perpetration and perpetuation of violence against women.
Here are some of the performances of “A Rapist in Your Way” being staged by women around the world:
Kenya
San Francisco, United States
Los Angeles, United States
Turkey
Women all over Turkey have been arrested for participating in performances of the song. In response, MPs performed the song in solidarity with the detained protesters.
Lyrics (English)
A Rapist in Your Way
The patriarchy is a judge
that judges us for being born
and our punishment
is the violence you don’t see.
The patriarchy is a judge
that judges us for being born
and our punishment
is the violence that you’ve seen.
It’s femicide.
Impunity for my killer.
It’s disappearance.
It’s rape.
And I’m not guilty, not because of where I was or how I dressed
And I’m not guilty, not because of where I was or how I dressed
And I’m not guilty, not because of where I was or how I dressed
And I ‘m not guilty, not because of where I was or how I dressed
The rapist is you.
The rapist is you.
It’s the cops,
the judges,
the state,
the president.
The oppressive state is a rapist.
The oppressive state is a rapist.
The rapist is you
The rapist is you
“Slumber gently, innocent girl
without worrying about the riff-raff,
in your sweetly smiling dreams,
will be revealed your loving lieutenant”*
the rapist is you
The rapist is you
The rapist is you
The rapist is you
Lyrics (Original)
El patriarcado es un juez
Que nos juzga por nacer
Y nuestro castigo
Es la violencia que no ves
El patriarcado es un juez
Que nos juzga por nacer
Y nuestro castigo
Es la violencia que ya ves
Es femicidio
Impunidad para mi asesino
Es la desaparición
Es la violación
Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba, ni cómo vestía
Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba, ni cómo vestía
Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba, ni cómo vestía
Y la culpa no era mía, ni donde estaba, ni cómo vestía
El violador eras tú
El violador eres tú
Son los pacos
Los jueces
El Estado
El Presidente
El Estado opresor es un macho violador
El Estado opresor es un macho violador
El violador eras tú (Paco culiao)
El violador eres tú (Paco culiao)
Duerme tranquila, niña inocente
Sin preocuparte del bandolero
Que por tu sueños dulce y sonriente
Vela tu amante carabinero
El violador eres tú (Paco culiao)
El violador eres tú (Paco culiao)
El violador eres tú (Paco culiao)
El violador eres tú (Paco culiao)
