Industrial Workers of the World (European Regional Administration) statement of solidarity with the Student Movement and student/university strikes in Chile (cf. attached PDF).

Since last year, Chilean students have been marching to demand -- among other things -- free, public, and good quality education at all levels.

Police repression has escalated exponentially, and the eyes of the world are now closely watching, and condemning, the police repression that has met the student protests. Police stations in Chile are filled with students from universities and secondary schools, a large number of them women, against whom gender violence is pervasively being used as a weapon to deter the most militant. Patricia Rada, Human Rights Lawyer in Chile said:

“He held my breast tightly and above all he yelled at me to go home and look after the children”.

This is a clear evidence of the focus and the type of violence that carabineros are using, she said.

The spokesperson of the Students Assembly Coordination (ACES) , Eloisa Gonzales announced that the meeting that was being organised by the student leadership in order to coordinate mobilisations for the coming weeks was forcefully suppressed and impeded by the police.

Workers across Santiago have been out on the streets supporting the students and we, the Industrial Workers of the World (European Administration) stand in solidarity with Chile’s youth in their struggle. We will be organising solidarity demonstrations in the UK and elsewhere to let the Chilean government know: the world is watching.

NOTES:

1. Sources: Alejandro Kirk Report, HispanTV (http://www.hispantv.com/)

2. Here a link to a subtitled video where the demands of the student movement are clearly laid out by Camila Hernandez, from the Communist Youth in Chile http://multimedia.telesurtv.net/media/telesur.video.web/telesur-web/#!en/video/estudiantes-chilenos-tomaron-edificios-publicos-en-santiago

3. This is the list of Universities mobilised in Chile who are joining the strike TODAY. There is also a large number of Secondary Schools on Strike Source: http://www.facebook.com/Infestu

ON STRIKE:

University of Chile: Faculties of Medicine, Urbanism , Arquitecture, Design, Geography. Arts centre

University of Concepcion: General and Basic Education, Pedagogy in History and Geography, Biochemistry, Veterinary medicine. Social Sciences School Faculty (anthropology, sociology, psychology, social work, journalism)

University Alberto Hurtado: Anthropology, Social work, Literature, Political Sciences, Industrial Relations

University Santo Tomas (Santiago): Social Work

University Andrés Bello (Viña del Mar): Social Work faculty

University of Viña del mar: History Faculty

University Tecnológica Metropolitana: all campuses on strike

University Austral de Chile: History and Social Sciences, Anthropology and Pedagogy, Law Faculty

University de Santiago de Chile: all faculties University Técnica Federico Santa María: José Miguel Carrera, and San Joaquín campus in full strike

Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez: all faculties in full strike

University Academia de Humanismo Cristiano

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV) all faculties on strike

University of Valparaíso: Parvularia Education, Social Work, Psicology faculties

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: Arts College, Comunications, Civil Construction, History, Philosophy, Literature, Music, Párvulos Education, Pedagogy, Chemistry, Sociology, Theatre, Social Work

University Central (La Serena): Sociology faculty

University Diego Portales: Faculties of Sociology, Commercial Engineering, Design, Architecture, Visual Arts, Social Sciences Bachellor, Political Sciences, History, Journalism, Publicity, Creative Literature, Medicine, Pedagogy in Education, Basic, Parvularian Education, in Literature, History and Social Sciences, Civil and Industrial Engineering, IT and Telecommunications Engineering, Psychology, Management Engineering

University Católica of Temuco: Differential Education

University Playa Ancha: Education Sciences

University Autónoma: all on strike

OCCUPIED

University of Chile: Theatre School, Central House

University de La Frontera: Occupation by students from Humanities, Phisical Education, Social Work, Journalism, Sociology, Psychology, Sciences, Castellano, History, Law

University Central (Santiago): Vicente Kovacevic 2 (VKII) building