Today, el once de septiembre, is the anniversary of the coup d’etat in Chile, where General Pinochet overthrew the democratically-elected government in 1973. Over the next seventeen years, Pinochet reigned as a ruthless dictator, squashing dissent, torturing and killing political prisoners, and causing thousands to “disappear.” It is interesting to compare this reign of terror with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In both, about 3,000 people are confirmed dead (while in Chile there are another 3,500 "disappeared"). And while our September 11 was a devastatingly sudden tragedy captured on live TV, theirs was a drawn out series of little acts of terror conducted under cover of night. I don’t know which is worse.
It is incredible to be here at this time. They are expecting demonstrations in the streets, and so the office closed early so that everyone could get home early. There is some concern that a few of the thousands of demonstrators could become unruly; last year, some threw Malatov cocktails at the government building, La Moneda. So, all the good Chileans here recommended that we get home early and stay inside today. I left the office at five instead of six, and couldn’t resist heading home via La Alameda, where the demonstrations are expected. I saw plenty of police, but nothing alarming. It was really quite calm.
It’s an emotional day for Chile, for FASIC, and for all those who lived through the experience of the coup d’etat and the dictatorship that followed. During the morning, we were invited into FASIC’s conference room for what appeared to me an impromptu meeting. They played a CD recording of the final message of President Salvador Allende—a message he transmitted over the radio while under siege in La Moneda on September 11 (listen here). You can hear chaos in the background, the fighter planes overhead, and the somber tone of voice as he says that he will give his life for the cause, but that manana, Chile should awake to retake the country. A few hours later, after trying to defend La Moneda from Pinochet’s troops with a rifle given to him by Fidel Castro, President Allende was dead.
I’ve only been here five days, and I am certainly not informed enough to draw real conclusions about modern Chilean society. It is obvious that el once de septiembre is a day of great sorrow. But, I dare say, it may also be a day of somber celebration; celebration that finally Chile is a country where demonstrations and a fierce free speech can take place in the public arena. More to the point, I told Claudio, the Director of FASIC, I don’t have the words to say anything about this day—not in Spanish, and not even in English.
