Homage to Pinochet Causes Outrage
Pinochet and his generals in 1973. Photo Chas Gerretsen, Nederlands Fotomuseum
Next Sunday, the right-wing Chilean group La Corporación 11 de Septiembre will hold an event in honor of Augusto Pinochet, one of the most violent dictators of all time. The event will take place in Santiago’s Caupolicán Theater, and according to the Unión de Oficiales en Retiro de la Defensa Nacional, 1,500 out of 7,500 tickets to the event have been sold thus far, reports elpais.com. At the center La Corporación 11 de Septiembre (named after the date of Pinochet’s rise to power) is the fundamental belief that the Pinochet regime, which tortured and killed thousands of Chileans in the 1970s and 80s, did not violate any human rights. The upcoming event has been hotly contested by members of the Chilean left, including the president of the Senate, Camilo Escalona, who personally asked the group to cancel the event. Explained Escalona, “The goal of this is to justify state terrorism and defend the violence that was exercised against thousands of Chilean families from 1973 to 1989.” With such strong opposition, the outcome of the La Corporación’s efforts remains to be seen.
