September 11.

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Saturday September 11, 2004 19:43

by ipsiphi

how people remember-

Depends really on which culture they live in.

Chile remembers the coup d'etat that toppled Alende's legitmate government and began Pinochet's dictatorship.

Catalonia marks it's independence day, anniversary of it's 1714 defeat by Bourbon Spanish forces.

England has but almost forgotten the Levelers petition delivered to Parliament this day 1648 with over 40,000 signatures claiming basic rights.

Mayor Bloomsberg visited ground zero in an America more interested in the issues of why Schwarzenegger chose yesterday to finally outlaw necrophilia in California, and the news that Disney CEO Michael Eisner has finally stepped down.

Catalonia celebrated it's first "onze" (11) with a socialist president and tripartite coalition which includes two independence parties.
Accordingly the Spanish Flag was not flown over official buildings in the second and third cities of the country today, Girona and Lleida.
Their president Maragall has appealed that they find expression of their self determination within a Spanish context. But today really belongs to the myriad full independence groupings and types who have this year adopted the donkey as their mascot animal, replacing last year's cat.

Chileans have seen in the last year, Pinochet stripped of is constitutional immunity for the part he played in Operation Condor a CIA planned coup, and this last week millions of dollars banked in his name during and after that period were frozen. Despite protests by his younger son that these funds were savings alone, most chileans remember that his elder son was arrested a month ago on charges of illegal secondhand car dealing, and feel confident that this year will see Pinochet face more "justice".

It is difficult to treat on the Cromwellian period of English history without acknowledging the masacres and genocides which accompanied it mostly in Ireland. Whilst Cromwell's legacy cuts through our history to the present day, the demands put by the Levelers to parliament this day 356 years ago were forgotten and can only be theoretically thought to have resurfaced in later social movements.

September 11 did not begin
nor did it end History
for any people.

But it is a useful benchmark.

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Chile 11 September 2004

by ipsiphi "how can remember what happened to others that which - I may not rationalise? How may I remember death? Except to know they are dead. And died..."

Sat Sep 11, 2004 23:07

Police report 50 arrests after disturbances which occured during peaceful and non violent memorial ceremonies to mark 31 years since pinochet's coup at the then (1973) seat of government which was attacked by Pinochet's troops and where Alende died.
Police also report that 3,500 took part in the memorial acts, and after assembling at the Placa de heroes marched to the Palacio de la Moneda where they then assembled at the door of number 80 Morande street where Alende's dead body was thrown to the street.

The crowd then marched to Placa Constitución, where a statue was unveiled to Allende and then on to the cemetary in the north of the city.

Pinochet launched (and was launched) on a 17 year dictatorship, which saw the Chilean military kill, torture, and terrorise the population, with a savagery unseen in any comparable coup since Franco or if you prefer since the Nazis occupied Europe.

The riots which occured and resulted in 50 (mostly youths) detained, saw street battles with the Police in which private property was damaged, a police station attacked and molotov cocktails exchanged with tear gas.
Included amongst the damages were the vans used by the Chilean TV channel 11.

But tomorrow Chile will be a democracy.
As it was yesterday, as it is today.

And Chile has for two years, not even merited the slightest mention in an Amnesty International Report. Which is thought at least in European circles to be an achievement.
Nor has Chile encurred any sanction from reporters without frontiers for limiting the freedom of the Press, unlike many other supposedly more "free" states.

Chile and Chileans, some might say
have survived their darkest moments of the Wars between Men.

http://chile.indymedia.org
http://chilesur.indymedia.org
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/119174/index.php
http://www.europapress.es/europa2003/noticia.aspx?cod=20040911204132&tabID=1&ch=106

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