Santiago de Chile, April 3 (RHC)-- Indigenous Mapuche communities of Ercilla, Chile, have called for a solidarity demonstration in Temuco. A march for Peace-Demilitarization and Mapuche Self-Determination was also held on Wednesday in Santiago, the Chilean capital.
The community action intends to reaffirm “the rights that legitimately assist us, on this day we will announce the issues that we could not expose on March 20 to our Mapuche nation and to the national and international public opinion,” Mapuchefolkets Kamp said on social media.
“Therefore, we will make use of our right to freedom -- determination enshrined in the United Nations declaration in 2007 and we call on the Chilean people to attend and accompany us in this concentration.”
The call to action was announced four days after the last demonstration, March 20, demanding an end to the militarization of Mapuche territory and in commemoration of Camilo Catrillanca, young Mapuche murdered by the Chilean police, known as the Carabineros, while he was driving a tractor, on November 14, 2018.
In that protest, participants did not request a permit, insisting that they did not have to ask for permission to demonstrate. Carabineros repressed demonstrators leading to a score of people arrested. After the incidents, the governor of Cautin, Mauricio Ojeda, requested that protesters request authorization to avoid problems.
Aucan Huilcaman, leader of the Council of All Lands Aukiñ Wallmapu Ngulam (AWNg), responded that it was not necessary to ask for authorization since "the right to demonstrate peacefully is guaranteed by the Constitution."
