Nelson Quillichao López, worker of a Chilean state-owned mining company, was murdered by the police on July 24th of 2015. Nelson joins a long list of social fighters killed in the country since 1990: Rodrigo Cisternas, Manuel Gutiérrez, Matías Catrileo, Alex Lemún, Claudia López, Daniel Menco, Ariel Antonioletti and Juan Pablo Jiménez are just a few names among over 70 people murdered in a ‘democracy’ still framed under Pinochet’s laws. The continuity of violence is thus revealed as part of a system structured around the defence of capital above democracy, justice, nature, peoples’ welfare and rights -ultimately, above human life itself.

In the UK, repression featured the implementation of neoliberalism in Mrs. Thatcher’s years. In Chile, those neoliberal policies could only find their way through the dictatorship’s genocide. And in the same way that the Labour Party became one of the guardians of Thatcher’s legacy, yesterday’s Chilean democrats transformed themselves into the custodians of Pinochet’s. They tell us that changes have to wait, that economic conditions force them to be ‘realistic’, coining a curious phrase: ‘realism without renunciation’. We understand, we believe them, we know they will never renounce neoliberalism nor their allegiance to capitalism, they will never renounce their priviledges although that implies more workers, students or Mapuche communities repressed.

Neoliberalism without resignation: that is what they offer us. And we come to tell them that amongst us there is no resignation either! As long as they continue to repress, we will resist; as long as they defend capital and privileges, we will defend solidarity and organization; and while they keep selling illusions, we build bridges that bring together all struggles. Viva Chile, long live to those who fight!

Compañero Nelson Quichillao, presente!