Chile - in the face of wild nature's indomitable strength, some news from the earthquake

translated from Culmine
source: anonymous communique sent to Culmine, 28.02.10
27 febbraio, wild nature has again shown what it is capable of with an 8.8 Richter scale earthquake in the occupied territory of the State of Chile with 700 dead so far. It would be a mistake to make ethical considerations on a phenomenon of a nature that does not let itself be dominated, all the same there have been consequences for the exploited and for us, comrades active in the struggle in this part of the world.
The media morbidly celebrate and make the classic appeal to the military to line the streets in the face of looting and possible disorder, just as they judge and condemn the looters from their position as judges and moulders of public opinion.
Here are a few brief pieces of news from these territories:
- Occupied Spaces in Santiago del Chile:
At “La Crota” squat part of the facade of the outside wall has become detached and some of the roof fell onto the library, an internal wall fell onto the garden, damaging it. Some of the building occupied by the comrades is in "adobe".
- At the Sacco y Vanzetti occupied social centre part of the roof has fallen in. A number of walls have cracks and finally there is the classic disorder due to the library shelves having fallen down.
That is all the information we have at the moment, which does not methat other spaces have not been struck. More information below.
- Looting
In various places in the territory human needs have priority over the law and the bourgeois morals of respect for private property.
Attacks on supermarkets and large centres to recuperate and expropriate food, water and other items for survival have seen great participation of the exploited.
In Concepción (epicentre of the earthquake) the exploited loot supermarkets by night and by day, while journalists film such scenes, commenting them like the good guardians of capital they are. Police start to repress brutally with hydrants (macabre irony of authority, considering that the provision of water has been suppressed) and continually fire teargas at the exploited.
The past few hours have been enlivened by a couple of clashes, comments of the press and expropriated goods in the anxious hands of the exploited.
The authorities are already talking of a critical situation and some of the military have already occupied the streets to try to "bring the situation under control". The press are indignant about the looting of articles that are not for immediate needs and which, ridiculously, well-off journalists consider to be "luxury goods". The exploited try to get what they can from the windows.
The military have now been authorised to occupy the streets and a state of siege has been declared in the most badly struck regions, while in Santiago units of the security forces are guarding the supermarkets, but exactly in the Quilicura (Santiago) area looting of supermarkets and pharmacies culminated with the hysterical PDI (Policia de Investigaciones) shooting at looters.
Prisoners
We have no news about the physical situation of the imprisoned comrades in Santiago and the various prisons in which they find themselves kidnapped.
Axel Osorio, Marcelo Dotte, Esteban Huiniguir (C.A.S).
Marcelo Villarroel, Freddy Fuentevilla (M.A.S).
Pablo Carvajal, Matías Castro, Cristian Cancino (Santiago 1)
Sergio Vasquez, Alvaro Olivares (comrades of the 22 January collective, held in the damaged Ex Penitenciaria)
Flora Pavez (C.P.F)
Probably, the most worrying situations are those of Sergio, Alvaro and Flora because of the kind of construction of these extermination camps.
In the "El Manzano" prison, near Concepción, there was a riot after the earthquake, followed by a fire. In the end 70 prisoners managed to escape and part of the extermination centre was destroyed by the flames. This is a prison where some of the many Mapuche that have decided to struggle against the State are held. We sincerely hope that some have managed to escape.
For the time being there is no information from other prisons about the condition of the Mapuche political prisoners.
In the extermination camp of Chillan, following the collapse of a wall, a mass escape of prisoners took place. 90 have been recaptured and 4 were killed - better dead than free, the guards had decided - Finally 293 managed to escape and are still free.
The media are talking about escapes and attempted escapes in various prisons of the country, but this still has to be confirmed.
The old structures of Capital... will not fall down alone!
Sent by Culmine (direct action)

Curfew in Chile

The Chilean authorities have imposed a curfew in the Maule and Bio Bio regions, in the centre-south of the country, 37 hours after the earthquake that has caused over 708 deaths... The authorities lack of help for the victims has unleashed the anger of the people that have been struck, pushing them to loot supermarkets, chemists and shops to find what they need.
This has pushed the authorities to react, not to help the population, but to repress and safeguard the interests of the big commercial chains. For this reason a curfew has been declared from 21 to 6 in the morning to allow them to guarantee order and the protection of the large commercial centres and supermarkets with the justification of protecting one of the inventions of the neo-pinochestista system : the so-called " middle classes ".