21/09/2016 by Elijah Firebrace

​

Last week like minds gathhered in solidarity with our Melbournes Latin American community to remember and celebrate Chile's rich political history. 

​

With the Allende's presidency sending Chile into economic ruin, he would be overthrown by a military coup on September 11 1973. 

​

According to Wikipedia - The four-man junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet abolished civil liberties, dissolved the national congress, banned union activities, prohibited strikes and collective bargaining, and erased the Allende administration's agrarian and economic reforms.

​

Sadly many people lost their lives to the torturous hand of this opporessive regime. 

​

In supliment to the great documentary we watched the night before, it was great to be educated further on this history with the extensive pictorial. Many of us in Australia had no idea at the time the Chilean People were battling such fascist deregulation, privatisation of the state at the hands of "The Chicago Boys", because Australia was going through a similar battle after Gough Whitlam being over throwed by the hard right winged Malcolm Fraser Government. Of which Aunty Sharon Firebrace was kind enough to elaberate on in her speech. 

​

The dictorship in Chile eventually came to an end when the people voted against re electing the Junta headed by Pinochet. Chileans elected a new president and the majority of members of a two-chamber congress on December 14, 1989. Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin, the candidate of a coalition of 17 political parties called the Concertación.

​

I think this story is an important lesson for us here in Australia to not let history repeat itself and so we can move forward in the right direction towards a fair and equal democratic society. 

​

Thanks for tuning in folks. 

​

E

​

​

 

​