Stories about Chile from August, 2011
Chile: Mapuche Youth Takeover Municipal Building
Katie Manning from Mi Voz reports that forty Mapuche teenagers have staged a takeover –toma in Spanish– in Ercilla: “Since August 19, the 11-to-17-year-olds occupied the town’s government center. They’re not giving it back, they said, until Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter hears out their grievances over the “constant police presence”...
Chile: #Paronacional (National Strike) vs. #Yonoparo (I Don't Strike)
The Workers' United Center of Chile has called for a national strike for the 24 and 25 of August 2011, as a form of protest against social and economic inequality in Chile. On Twitter, reactions for and against this protest have been echoed on the hashtags #paronacional (national strike) and #yonoparo (I don't strike).
Chile: Citizen Reports about National Strike on Google Maps
Mi Voz has set up a map on Google Maps [es] with citizen reports about the national strike taking place on August 24 and 25 throughout Chile.
Chile: Explaining the ‘Chilean Revolution’
Setty, a journalist living in Chile, explains ‘the Chilean revolution': “Chile is supposed to be the stodgy, conservative, institutionality-respecting corner of South America, where nothing ever happens. But this is changing as the public runs out of patience after centuries of being told that if they wait and work hard,...
Chile: Expats Unfazed as U.S. Embassy in Santiago Issues “Emergency Message”
The United States Embassy in Santiago has emailed an “emergency message for U.S. citizens” registered in Chile to keep out of the frequent and increasingly violent protests, but foreigners in Santiago don’t seem to be losing sleep over the roaring demonstrations.
Chile: Artists Protest at UNESCO Headquarters in Support of Students on Huger Strike
Artists protested peacefully outside the UNESCO headquarters in Santiago in support of students on hunger strike. El Mostrador reports [es] that 4 musicians entered the building to deliver a letter in favor of the students. Jose Miranda (@JPMirandaM) live streamed the protest via Twitcam. The ‘toma’ ended at 2:00pm local...
Chile: New Partnership Between Global Voices and Mi Voz
Global Voices and Mi Voz - a Chilean network of online citizen newspapers - recently launched a content partnership. With this partnership Global Voices will enhance its coverage of Chilean news from a hyperlocal citizen perspective focused on news outside the capital, Santiago.
Chile: Police Prevent Reporters From Covering Raid on Mapuche Community
Two Mapuche and a police officer were shot when “on Thursday, August 18th, the police raided sixteen Mapuche homes in search of weapons”, Ryan Seelau reports in Indigenous News. He adds that police “initially would not allow [the Radio Bio-Bio] vehicle to pass [es] in order to view and report...
Brazil: Construction Starts on Controversial Belo Monte Dam
Despite the protesting voices of indigenous populations and traditional settlers of Volta Grande do Xingu region, construction on Brazil's Belo Monte hydroelectric plant has begun. Protests against the project will take place in 10 Brazilian cities and 16 countries on August 20.
Chile: Indigenous People's Education and Chilean Law
Laura Seelau and Ryan Seelau of Indigenous News write about the “Indigenous peoples’ fight for education in Chile” at I Love Chile: “What many do not know […] is that Chilean law actually makes certain guarantees to indigenous peoples that do not exist for other portions of the population. Many...
Chile: Live Streaming of August 18 March for Education Reform
You can follow today's march for education reform through live streaming via Ciudadano Inteligente and Sentidos Comunes. On Twitter netizens are using the hashtags #18deagosto, #marchadelosparaguas, #marchaestudiantil, and others, to tweet about today's protest.
Chile: Students Seeking Education Reform Meet with Senate Education Committee
Leaders of the student movement met with the Senate's Education Committee yesterday, August 16, to discuss profit (“lucro” in Spanish) in education. Alicia Sánchez, executive secretary of the ‘Chilean Association of NGOs’ [es], comments on the session –which was broadcasted on TV Senado– at El Quinto Poder [es].
Chile: Waste Pickers Rummage for Legal Recognition
Environmentalist Bharati Chaturvedi flew for 40 hours from her home Delhi, India, to dig deeper into a dirty issue: trash. As politicians in Chile discuss recycling on a national level, Chaturvedi encourages that those who collect trash professionally, or “waste pickers,” be included in the solution.
Syria: World Cities Rally Against and For Bashar
Events in Syria are being echoed around the world. Syrians in the diaspora rallied in the majority of the cities in the world, either asking to overthrow Bashar Al Assad and his regime or chanting their love to their leader. Check out this video round up for footage from demonstrations worldwide.
Chile: International Support for Students Seeking Education Reforms
Movimiento Revolucionario Calle 13 (MRC13), a movement that aims to bring Latin America together “with the theme ‘education is the new revolution'” is uploading pictures to the group's Facebook page of people around the world showing their support for the Chilean student movement.
Chile: Demonstrators Thwart Hooded Violent Protestors
Chilean students protesting for educational reforms have been rallying since April and in the process have been forcefully controlled with water cannons and tear gas. A recent video has shown some demonstrators stopping a violent protest; many Chileans have shown support for the students.
Chile: August 9 Protests for Education Reform
Katie Manning from citizen news site Mi Voz reviews the August 9th student protests in Chile. She concludes: “Today their effort gained momentum globally. Chileans took to the streets of Paris, France, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, to show their support for the students’ cause.” Furthermore, Pepe Díaz (@pepe_black_diaz) has uploaded...
Chile: How to Follow the Student Protests Online
Students in Chile are marching for education reform once again today, August 9. Blogger Daniel Fajardo provides a guide on how to follow the protests and the student movement online. He includes a list of Twitter hashtags (#estudiantes, #marcha, #marchaestudiantil, #paronacional, #paroestudiantes, #caceroleo, #9deagtosto, #opchile, #chilequierepaz) and links to sites...
Global: Tracking Teacher Strikes and Protests
In one week, Teachersolidarity.com has written of teacher strikes and struggles in Puerto Rico, Chile, Kashmir, Orissa, Greece, Bahrain and Washington D.C. The blog is an online companion to the book, The Global Assault on Teaching, Teachers and their Unions: Stories for Resistance.
Chile: Families March for Education Reform
On Sunday, August 7, families marched to support students demanding equal, free and higher quality education in Chile. #marchafamiliar became a local Trending Topic on Sunday, and some users are still using it today to tweet videos, photos, and reactions. Sentidos Comunes published a photo gallery, and ‘Colectivo Fauna’ produced...
Chile: Citizen Videos of August 4 Clashes Between Students and Police
Pepe Díaz, blackmetalmeda on YouTube, posted videos (1, 2, 3) of yesterday's clashes between students and police during an unauthorized education protest in Santiago, Chile. Also, blogger Montserrat Nicolas from Curvas Políticas shared a video (with English captions) she put together with footage by Hernán Ortega (@yoopinopino).
