via:informativoanarquista Translated by Act for freedom now!
March 29: Day of the Young Combatant Report-Back
“Nothing changed in terms of the targeted repression that began to be applied to those who did not want to submit to the transition and to the itinerary of Pinochet’s constitution (…) How much young blood was still to be shed in this last year of dictatorship and in the years to come of police democracy of the Concertación*”
– Hans Niemeyer, 2015
On March 29, a demonstration was held to commemorate the Day of the Young Combatant, 38 years after its origin [1]. Historically, this date has brought together thousands of people in different parts of the territory who gather, generally, to denounce the dictatorial legacies of the Pinochet regime, extended by the rearrangement of the transition to democracy and, specifically, to give life to the memory of anarchist and subversive combatant youth.
Over time, this day has changed, although always characterized by street confrontations against the institutions of the police: “(…) in its first epoch, Maricio Maigret, Paulina Aguirre and the Vergara Toledo brothers, all militants of the MIR, were remembered. With the passing years, this date has come to incorporate new faces and names of youth who have died in the struggle against capitalism and power: Sebastián Oversluij, who died during a bank expropriation in Pudahuel. Mauricio Morales, attacking the military academy with a bomb. Claudia López, while participating in the barricades during a September 11th demonstration in La Pincoya. Jhonny Cariqueo, killed by a police beating on March 29, 2008. Jacier Recabarren, rebellious child who died in a transit accident.” [2]
The images multiply and the dates are resignified. It is no longer only the memory of two comrades, it extends to many more who gave their lives in the antagonistic and revolutionary destabalization against a system that maintains a continuum of miserys, persecutions, kidnappings and murders.
Moving onto the events, the day began with a student march through the Alameda and Providencia axis, passing through Plaza Dignidad with barricades and brief confrontations against the COP [Carabineros] – who were constantly monitoring and harassing the mobilization. Continuing west, COP pushed the crowd towards Central Station, triggering the usual confrontation with the drug dealers of the Meiggs sector. Vigils were held outside the Liceo de Aplicación, where the Vergara Toledo brothers studied, and at Liceo 7 de Ñuñoa where the death of Tobias was remembered.
These events, along with others at Ñuñoa, the intersections of Aledañas and Yungay, San Bernardo -where 4 government vehicles were damaged- and Concepción, resulted in 36 arrests according to the Undersecretary of Crime Prevention. “Of these, 31 for simple disorderly conduct; one for carrying elements for the preparation of incendiary elements; and one for carrying elements for the preparation of incendiary elements and aggression against a policeman on duty”. [3]
In the general cemetary, with the participation of Manuel Vergara -father of the Vergara brothers-, Luis Aguirre -father of Paulina Aguirre-, the son of Cristian Valdebenito and relatives of the disappeared, a procession was held from the memorial of those detained and disappeared during the dictatorship to the tomb of the Vergara Toledo family.
In Temuco, in the vicinity of the central campus of the Universidad de la Frontera (UFRO), there was an arson attack where barricades were set up and rebels confronted the presence of COP. In addition, a group of masked individuals attacked a branch of the company Telsur of the Gtd group with Molotov cocktails.
In Valparaíso, in the vicinity of Pedro Montt Avenue, a large number of people marched with banners and barricades. Different activities were also organized in Concepción.
From the prison-company Santiago 1, informative conversations were held among prisoners, a mural was made and a banner was displayed saying “March 29th, in the street and in prison we are still at war”.
At nightfall, the intensity of the actions and confrontations increased. In Villa Francia a commemorative act was held at Las Rejas and 5 de Abril, where the memorial of Rafael and Eduardo Vergara Toledo is located. Manuel Vergara addressed some words of memory and strength for his sons and those who every year come to vindicate the struggle of the combative youth.
Around 9:30 p.m., different media reported the total burning of two buses of the Red system by masked people, while at the same time the first barricades and molotov confrontations were launched against the presence of COP. Without calming the conflict and resistance, an armored car crashed into a tree and a pole, its vision obstructed by the fire of the Molotov cocktails burning on the windshield, forcing two police officers who were inside to get out. It was then that the masked ones launched a firearms attack, shooting one of them in the buttock. He was taken to the Carabineros Hospital where it was confirmed that he was not in grave risk. The director general of Carabineros, Ricardo Yáñez, denounced: “There are graphic images of what happened on the scene. It was a vile attack with firearms and also with incendiary weapons. I want to condemn it categorically, the carabineros defended themselves, they made use of their firearms…”.
An 18-year-old was also shot with a bullet in his left cheek. According to his testimony, he suffered the impact when he was walking along 5 de abril and Aeropuerto. It is believed that the bullet came from one of the carabinero guns (COP). The following day Labocar carried out an analysis at 5 de abril to look for possible perpetrators of the shooting of the carabinero.
In Lo Hermida the day began with a cultural political act, with performances from artists from the territory and different social organizations, in addition to a vigil at the memorial of disappeared detainees in Peñalolén. This ended with a march through the passages of the neighborhood to Grecia Avenue where barricades and molotov confrontations were launched against the presence of COP.
In La Pincoya, barricades and confrontations were set up, resulting in the completely burning of a bus of the Red system at the intersection of Américo Vespucio and Recoleta.
Four carabineros barracks were attacked, among them the 20 Police Station in Puente Alto, 62 Police Station in San Bernardo, 54 Police Station in Huechuraba and 45 Police Station in Cerro Navia. Other data and facts can be seen – for example, a total of 6,386 carabineros were deployed throughout the territory. And in the Metropolitan Region alone, a total of 2,359 – in the report of the Undersecretary of the Interior [4].
In all the instances described above, among others, banners and pamphlets read: “Only those who are forgotten truly die”, “Simon Wenchuhan, Jorge and Pedro Palacios”, “Young combatant, get organized and fight. Enough of turning the other cheek”, “The discontent grows and the organization gets stronger. 29m”, “Nothing is over, nothing is forgotten. Memory to the fallen”, “Active solidarity, armed complicity. With comrade Aldo Hernández accused of the explosive attack on the National Directorate of Gendarmerie”, “Before the long sentences of the state, complicity and armed sedition… Francisco Solar and Mónica Caballero present in insurrectional action”, “Facing prison and confinement, active and explosive solidarity. Freedom for Aldo and Lucas Hernandez”, “Freedom for Aldo, Lucas, Syde and Javo”, “Making ideas a real threat. Freedom for Aldo”, “Every day a young fighter is born. March 29th insurrectionary and subversive. We walk with our dead -and comrades kidnapped by the different States of the world- in our memory and in our black hearts with their conviction, courage and living fortitude. We remain on at war against the State and capital, until we achieve total liberation”, “Fighting injustice is the road to dignity and organization”, “Direct action and popular organization. Memory, struggle and revolutionary construction”, “Subversion in everyday life. The fight continues, from piños to the struggle in the streets. Every March 29th, with heart in hand and in the midst of fire, smoke and words (…) Nothing and nobody is forgotten. Social war against the state patriarchy and capital”, “Memory is a subversive tool, young fighters present”, “Long live chaos”, “As long as there is misery there will be rebellion”, “Only the organized people will free the imprisoned people”, “No one is forgotten, no one stops fighting. Impunity never”, “Our memory is rebellious and spreads in the street”, “The country betrays, the student acts” and “Forward with all the force of history”.
Informativo Anarquista – 2023 [5]
* Translator’s note: The Concertaciòn refers to the Coalition of Parties for Democracy, the coalition of center-left political parties that took over state rule after Chile’s transition to democracy in 1989.
1. March 29, 1985 in Villa Ferroviaria, close to 5 de abril con Las Rejas, a carabineros van intercepted two 18-year-old MIR militants, Eduardo and Rafael Vergara Toledo, cornered them, and riddled them with bullets. Eduardo died on the spot and the carabineros executed Rafael in the van, dumping their bodies afterward. That same night of March 29, in the Lo Barnechea district, MIR militant Paulina Alejandra Aguirre Tobar was murdered by CNI agents.
2. Words of the comrades of Red de Lucha y Propaganda, (Santiago, 2023).
3. Radio Bio Bio, Suben a 36 los detenidos en manifestaciones por el Día del Joven Combatiente (consult web).
4. Press Agenda, “Day of the Young Combatant”: 75 arrested and two people (a civilian and a policeman) shot and wounded is the result of a violent day (see web).
5. For photographic records and a news source visit the site informativoanarquista.noblogs.org
