Photos courtesy of author
In Santiago, Chile a city of seven million inhabitants, thousands of miles from what we have all been trained to refer to as “ground zero,” a major street that runs through the upper-middle class neighborhood and shopping district of Providencia is named September 11th.
Properly, it is called “Once de Septiembre,” and it might seem to Americans that Chile is recognizing “our” September 11th. In fact, an art display just steps from the presidential palace, and in front of the country’s left-leaning newspaper, La Nación’s headquarters is a small art show, with front newspaper pages depicting the events that transpired on September 11th, 2001. Beside it is a small photo exhibit of peaceful New York, with the towers still standing.
But the story in Chile predates “our” September 11th by nearly two decades.
September 11, 1973 was the day on which the military coup, or golpe militar, changed Chile’s political reality. President Salvador Allende died during the attack on La Moneda, the presidential palace, and this day began nearly 17 years of what is commonly referred to as the bloodiest dictatorship in Latin American history, headed by Augusto Pinochet, with links to the U.S. government.
Over the course of the following nearly two decades, thousands were killed or “disappeared,” and tens of thousands incarcerated. Some 200,000 people went into exile. Many went to Europe if they could, such as current President Michelle Bachelet’s family, which fled to East Germany, or to neighboring Latin American countries such as Peru and Argentina, if they could not.
For those who stayed, many were “internally exiled,” relegated to far-flung zones with little or no contact with their families. Neighborhoods were redrawn and residents of encampments scattered into the periphery of the city, where new, poorly-served areas would be constructed. They exist to this day.
People in Chile blame the dictatorship for some of society’s ills, for the class-based oligarchy that exists in current day Chile, for the rifts between families and lost sons and daughters, parents and grandparents. But among Chilean society also walk Pinochetistas, supporters of the dictatorship and what it stood for, and the relative economic stability they say it has brought. It was these people who mourned Pinochet’s death in December, 2006, holding vigil outside of the Escuela Militar, while smaller anti-Pinochet demonstrations rocked other areas of the city.
Since Pinochet’s death, the demonstrations to which Chileans have become accustomed on September 11th have shrunk in violence and timbre in recent years. Though violent demonstrations take place in some of the poorer, more densely-populated outlying areas, the activity around the Moneda and in more central areas has been tense, but civil for the most part.
People place red carnations and notes to and for the disappeared or killed, around the statue of Salvador Allende, and in other key spots. All the while the police keep crowds moving, keep the teargas poised for launching, and the guanacos, or water cannons, are ready to be fired should the need arise.
Community Connection:
Matador contributing editor Tom Gates writes about experiencing September 11, 2001 in “8:46 am, 9/11 Manhattan.”
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There are other commemorations taking place around the world for different “September 11s” as well. Some examples:
-the Mountain Meadows massacre of 1857 in Utah
-the National Day of Catalunya, commemorating the Siege of Barcelona in 1714, which had led to Catalan independence/autonomy being completely abolished until the death of Franco and the restoration of democracy in Spain in the 1970s and 80s.↵ -
That was an extremely sad situation for Chile, and because of the length of the Pinochet’s reign, I’m sure it will continue on their minds for many decades to come. I knew of the coup and the killings, but had no idea that 200,000 people were displaced into exile. As Hal stated, thanks for giving us a little more history into this date and what it means to others in the rest of the world.
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Eileen, as we commemorate the US 9/11, I think pieces like these are extremely important in understanding some of the why the US was targeted.
The innocent people in the WTC did not deserve their lives to be taken, or to have some unknown disease settle in their lungs to kill them later, but what the US government has done throughout the world in order to “secure” our way of life has had real affects felt by those in the Middle East, Asia, and Central and South America.
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Thanks Hal and Christine for your comments. Particularly, Christine, I wanted to comment on the connection that you make between US involvement in the dictatorships in Latin America and the events of Sept. 11th, 2001. It falls beyond the scope of the article to make this astute political commentary, but I would love to see it opened for discussion. I have sheaves and legions to say about this topic, and about how the dictatorship has affected the Chilean psyche (as I see it). Alas, the article a small glimpse to what’s happening in a tiny stringbean of a country with only 17 million inhabitants, every one of whom know about the US’ Sept. 11th. I’d love it if 17,000 Americans could learn about Chile’s Sept. 11th and think for just five minutes today about what that meant.
bonus movie recommendation: Machuca, a beautiful film by Andrés Wood, a semi-fictionalized account of two kids from opposite sides of the political divide who become friends in the period leading up to the golpe.
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Wonderful article.
While I don’t know about drawing the connection between this 9/11 and the other, this is something we should have kept in mind when we reacted. As horrible as the WTC attacks were (and horrible they certainly were), even more frightening for me was watching the reaction from our government.
The profiling, the attempts to get access to public library records and to provide public school students’ names to the military. The scare tactics that they used with journalists and anyone else who tried to speak out against them. They were like Nixon at his worst, selling Chile to Kennecott Copper. It was like Pinochet, disappearing citizens to protect the Patria.
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Thanks again all for your thoughtful comments. I know that the experience of living 9/11 and its aftermath in the states will take years to unravel. Similiarly, here in Chile, unwinding all the implications of September 11th, 1973 will probably take generations. I really appreciate you all turning your attention to this tiny corner of the world.
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“As horrible as the WTC attacks were (and horrible they certainly were), even more frightening for me was watching the reaction from our government.”
Adam — you’re a wuss! And I mean that only in the kindest sense.
Your comparisons are either inaccurate, or inane.
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I was in Santiago in November and I remember talking to some locals about the US involvement in removing Allende and the concerns that still hold to this day. They said that they fear if they vote for a more left leaning government that the US will again try to exert their influence. I feel that times have changed and that their fears were rooted in the cold-war era. However, I was upset over what my government caused, and of the effects that are still felt to this day, globally.
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Fantastic fantastic fairy story.
Though it lacks of a good research and intentionally omits historical facts:
1. Allende cowardly killed himself with a shotgun on sept 11th, gift from Fidel Castro, his friend and supporter. This is recognized by his own family.
2. Allende was declared inconstitutional in August 1973 by 75% of the congress.
3. Many many cubans and soviets were in Chile supporting the instauration of the other cuba en Latin America.
4. The so called “democracy restauration” started in Sept 11th 1973, plus the reconstruction of the country. The institutions and Constitution built during Pinochet’s time havent changed a bit, even with 20 years of left side government.
5. 2.200 people died during the military government. Out of which many died fighting to reinstate the marxist government… as cuba… as rusia… as east germany…Funny how it goes… victims of leftist communications marketing campaigns…
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Eileen, you sound like a great person to go for a beer with. I’ve been living in Santiago for the last 8 months and understand it less every day.
To my horror, on the day you posted this article, a student of mine was talking about Chile’s September 11th and said “Well, for me, it wasn’t a military coup, just a change of government”. I imagine that the families of those murdered would have a rather different view.
The fact that so many of those responsible have failed to be punished in any way and that so few people wish to discuss it, saddens me deeply.
I’m glad your article is here and that people are responding to it.
Ex-British right-wing prime minister Margaret Thatcher considered herself a friend of Pinochet. As always, the British and American governments have a hell of a lot to answer for.
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Natasha, look me up on my blog, opportunities for beer abound!
Juan, I can only assume by “fairy story” you mean fairytale, as in made up information. I did not say that Salvador Allende was killed, I said that he died. Whether he was killed or commited suicide may or may not be up for dispute, I decided to phrase it that way specifically because I do not wish to add fuel to the fire of either side.
As for the rest of the article, whether the institution of one government or the other benefited or disadvantaged the people of Chile, and who supported one government or the other, I suppose there are as many stories as there are humans who experienced the event, of whom I am not one. I am a United States citizen who lives in Chile by the grace of the Chilean government, and am thankful for the opportunity to do so.
Thanks all for your responses, and keep them coming, even if you think I’m spinning tales. It’s an important conversation to have.
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Great article. You are right about the US involvement on the Chile coup, unfortunately. On September the 4th, 1970, Allende received the largest number of votes in the Chilean elections, but since no candidate had reached the absolute majority, the Congress, on the 24th of October, was to vote and choose the President between the two candidates that obtained the highest number of votes.
This led to a bigger US involvement: secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, started pressurizing publicly the Chilean Congress to influence its decision: “I have yet to meet somebody who firmly believes that if Allende wins there is likely to be another free election in Chile” he famously declared.
In June before the elections the White House was planning to take action in case of Allende’s victory, and the CIA was given 400,000 dollars to be used to oppose Allende candidacy. In September Kissinger suggested that other 350,000 dollars would be given to the CIA to corrupt the members of the Congress in favour of Jorge Alessandri, the other candidate running against Allende. Nevertheless, the Congress confirmed Allende, hence the military intervention: the CIA was officially entitled to dispose of eight million dollars to “destabilize” the Chilean government in the years 1971-1973.
It’s crucial to remember all “9/11″ and identify who’s responsible, to prevent such criminal acts from happening again.
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