The Other September 11

The 'other' September 11, of which few North Americans are aware is indelibly engraved upon the memories of most Latin Americans - that is the US inspired coup against Salvador Allende (a legally elected President) and his government in 1973. Over three thousand Chileans were killed immediately in Chile Stadium after the post coup 'round up'. Between 100 and 200 thousand Chileans were 'disappeared' during the following years of the US, (and UK) supported dictatorship, and hundreds of thousands felt forced to flee the country.

The footage here of the bombing of the Moncada (the Presidential Palace)has eerie resonances with the images of 2001.

The military coup ushered in over two decades of Pinochet's military dictatorship. One of the reasons I can't get into BDSM is that I once translated the testimonies of Chilean torture victims when they came to Australia as refugees.

While sympathetic to the tragedy of 9/11/01 I can also understand the sentiments of Latin Americans who saw it as 'collateral damage' coming home to roost.

Another uncanny resonance I find in this footage is Allende's speech before he was killed. He predicted his own death, and that the fascists would take and destroy certain radio stations and newspapers, and the headquarters of some of social organisations. For that reason he announced it as his last speech, knowing that the fascists would seize the last remaining media outlets. He was correct on every count.

And even as I write this, I await news from a friend in Bolivia. Yesterday (September 10) the Bolivian government expelled the US Ambassador for his support of right wing organisations that attempted to take over the government of the Province of Santa Cruz last Tuesday, their leader threatening to divide the country. Here is an extract from the news I had sent to me:

Bolivia, September 11 2008

"After destroying property of recently-nationalised public entities, the fascist groups then burnt the offices of the human rights organization, Centre for Juridical and Social Studies (CEJIS), before turning their attention to media outlets. Radio Patria Nueva installations were burnt, offices of the State television company Channel Seven in Santa Cruz were attacked and equipment stolen. They forced Radio Alternativa to suspend broadcasts and intimidated other media that are not aligned to the movement for elite-led autonomy, in scenes reminiscent of the previous week in Cobija, where four radio stations had to cease transmission in order to protect the safety of their journalists."

(Bolivia, September 11 2008)

It seems that some people never learn and try to force history to repeat itself in an endless loop. But then again, what goes around, comes around.

And
"Behind the 'other' September 11"