Carrizales, Leonardo

English 214.25

Professor Catlin Field

09/09/2014

SANTIAGO AND ITS BOMBS

On September 8th, 2014, the Chilean city of Santiago was on the receiving end of a bomb going off in the subway stations. The results of the blast injured around fourteen civilians.

Firefighters and Police attending the civilian casualties
Source: https://twitter.com/Sid_Baouche

What has Chile ever done to have such an assault? Even after what happened in 1973, people are still not accustomed to anything war-related or any sort of violent acts. What’s worse is that there have been 29 other bomb incidents earlier this year.

Reporters still claim this bomb attack to be a mystery, as to others believe this  attack were related to previous acts of anarchy, orchestrated in attempts towards sending a message or a warning to the current government. 

Augusto Pinochet (left) as a commander of the armed forces under Salvador Allende
Source: http://media.proceso.com.mx/media/2013/09/Salvador-Allende-Pinochet-c.jpg

 

  Every year, when September 11^th approaches, this type of incidents happen since 1973, following the coup d’état against the democratically elected government of Dr. Salvador Allende, headed by General Augusto Pinochet. The Dictator Pinochet died without being brought to justice for his crimes. 

The coup d’état of president Salvador Allende, staged by soon to be Dictator Augusto Pinochet 
Source: http://www.footandball.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/National-Palace.jpeg

In Chile, there is still resentment in a large sector of the society because of the thousands that disappeared during the dictatorship. Other people went to exile fearing for their lives.   

 Is in the light of this successes that Chile suffered a series of bombings, the most recent happening a couple of days ago. In Chile’s recent history, these were not the first bombings. The overthrow of Allende started with the bombing of the presidential palace by the Chilean air force.

Yet it seems that this bomb’s detonation was just a warning for worse things to come as this city and its country are still unprepared for what dangers lay ahead. Chile must have justice for these crimes against the people; otherwise civilian casualties will continue to happen.  

At this point, it is unknown if the people responsible for the bombings are from the extreme left or the extreme right. In the past, during the Allende government, there were groups from the extreme right financed by the CIA that were responsible of many acts of terrorism.     

Are the bombings the right response for the lack of justice, or the disaffection with a regime? Has not the world gotten enough bombs already? Due to many combustible elements in our world, nowadays, the use of bombs has more consequences than the ones that were expected.  

Chile must confront its past, bringing the human rights violators to justice. Moreover, the unjust economic system that keeps a huge separation between the rich and the poor must be addressed. This knowledge of the past has to deliver not only social, but economic justice.

 The social reconciliation passes to the road of social justice. Only then, the past will be a scar, no longer a wound.