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Thousands of women gathered at 11 in the morning in the Plaza Sotomayor in Valparaíso and then, at noon, began a march towards the National Congress.
The massive march traveled through the main streets of the port city plan and along its route various groups and collectives carried out various artistic interventions, but when they reached Avenida Francia they found papal fences and a large deployment of special forces and repressive vehicles, including gas cannons and water cannons. The women were not intimidated, they opened the fences that prevented their traffic, but they could not continue towards Congress since around twenty police cars were arranged as a repressive padlock, both on Pedro Montt Street and on Avenida Francia and Calle Victoria, heading towards the hill and Francia Avenue with Chacabuco Street towards the sea, prevented them from continuing to advance.
After a while of standing there shouting slogans and chants, some leaders managed to speak with the Carabineros officer in charge of the procedure, who stated that “The instructions to prevent the march from passing were given directly by the Presidential Delegate and only she could give a counter order”which did not happen and little by little the demonstration dissolved and dispersed, ending after 2 p.m.
The month of March is characterized by the feminist impulse and the carrying out of a series of activities and mobilizations that take place within the framework of the commemoration of the International Day of Working Women.
Here in Valparaíso, on Wednesday, March 6, in the CENTEX auditorium (Extension Center of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage) an event was held to relaunch the book “Lola Lolita, Memorias Sonoras de ex Political Prisoners”, a text where music, as a sound memory of political prisoners, rescues their actions as popular fighters in a period of our recent history that includes their active militant participation in the process of transformations promoted during the Popular Unity government. , political prison as a result of the brutal repression that was exercised against them by State agents during the civil-military dictatorship – where sexual political violence was a widespread and constant repressive tool against women as militants and fighters. social – as well as their capacity for resilience and their subsequent actions of resistance and struggle, in their most varied forms, against the dictatorship headed by Pinochet. This activity, which was attended by more than a hundred people, had a very special characteristic, where music and collective dancing were present as a manifestation of joyful rebellion that, even though these former political prisoners are now older, reflects the who remain active as social fighters, not only contributing with their memories of resistance against denialism and oblivion, but also continue to be organized by carrying out different activities and participating in street mobilizations as I saw today, March 8.
As is traditional, the call to mobilize on the day March 8 brings together thousands of women during the day called “Feminist Strike.” On this occasion, along with the numerous banners and canvases claiming the different demands that the different feminist groups and collectives put forward, a tribute was made to the women and girls affected and killed during the megafire on February 2, as was also expressed massively. solidarity with the Palestinian people, denouncing and repudiating the brutal genocidal actions carried out by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, where thousands of women and girls have been brutally murdered and have suffered the atrocities of this repressive action.
It is worth mentioning the impact of this massive 8M demonstration that attracted the attention of the large number of Buenos Aires men and women circulating through the streets of Valparaíso, who observed with great attention the passage of the feminist march, applauding said mobilization in many opportunities throughout its entire journey.
However, the objective of completing the route of this massive and peaceful mobilization in front of the National Congress building, as defined by the feminist organizations that called it, could not be met due to the repressive guidelines issued by the so-called “feminist government.” by Gabriel Boric.
Guillermo Correa Camiroaga, Valparaíso March 8, 2024