hunger strike. Along with 800 others seen again.
Socialist Challenge.
a woman under the Chilean dictatorship.
Why is the hunger strike taking place and how is it being organised internationally?
NETRAC TO TOUr DIALE in Santiago on 27 May with 77 people mainly women. By 28 May the number of'strikes had grown to 10 with 127 people, including five nuns and two priests.
This is a demonstration of the feeling against the dictatorship, Many trade organisations, unem ployed mutual aid societies, and community and student DEBISSION EVC SHOVELICI solidarity with the strikers.
have published a declaration supporting hunger strike which says that 'if there is not a definitive answer soon, we will move to more active forms ol support."
This support has been shown solidarity demonstrations the taking *bere some 120 people have been arrested Internationally series similar actions have begun continents relatives of political prisoners who have disappeared and also people from those countries.
These are: Canada, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Germany, Costa Rica, Venezuela, United States. Norway, Panama, Australia, Ireland and England - 260 people in all:
They are asking the Chilean autborities to comply with their promise to give concerning the fate whereabouts of their missing TE LITES Despite releases of prisoners, Goverument has continued to avoid giving a final answer regarding the plight of more than 2,500 persons detained and "disappeared" since military coup of September 1973.
The hunger strikers are also denouncing the fact that amnesty DE LY ADHE benefitted government security agents, What is happening In Britain and what sort of support have you got?
CARIARD indefinite strike in London (St Aloysius Catholic Church) and various strikes Oxford, Bristol, Sheffield, NONCISC.
Aberdeen, Cambridee, burgh, Swanse and Exeter.
These strikes have supported by bodies A minest Chile Consmittee for Human Rights, and the Chile Solidaricy Campaign. The Catholic Church has shown its support for the strike thrugh the visit of Cardinal Hume.
There have been telegrams of miners, NALGO church six Chileans are entering their third week of - 250 in Chile and 70 in Britain - they are demanding to know the whereabouts of relatives who have "disappeared': snatched away by the dictatorship's police and never Two of the strikers, GRETE ENRIQUEZ and were interviewed by members of the Latin American Women's Group for They talk about why they are on hunger strike, the new wave of resistance in Chile, and what it'slike to be Liverpool, NUT) and various DESTINEOLS.
NUS and colleges. We lave also received solidarity various figures in the English BIBLE HUBES and economic situation Pinochet has made a number of deciarations and there been publicity measure under pressure from the US and solidarity: supposed end of the state of i terpeplaced trich state of manety three me thin amnesty decree in which particularly members of the secret police, at and of premier to jais or in secret places; the inclusion of civilians in the tepresenting Chilean monopoly economic interests.
Despite all this, the situation for the people as a whole has of not changed. The high level of unemployment (20 per the average, and 60 per cent in the manual sectors), malnutrition, the total sosence of the most basic human rights (to life, work. to DITOTS association eic) are normal condition of life and repression is unavoidable as a Torm of government to crush the legitimate opposition to the This situation didn't come abour by chance or reply had intentions on the part of and those who formulate ecanomic policy, but calculated plan to transform the Chile into oriented export raw agricultural produce and so on This means doing away with the national industry oriented to the internal TESTED. implies uneat plostent hunger.
the As a corollary the level of consumption of the majority of population has reduced to incredible proportions, lower than subsistence For example: a PEM worker earns about 230 a month, with a cost of living similar to bere Slowly the people reorganised. In its clandestine political organisations. In the DOOLIST resistance, Resistance Committees factory committees.
Edut- In the limited but useful legal space allowed to the unions and been federations - leaflets, letters.
like pressure on the dictatorship to the restore trade union rights and raise the level of income and solve unemployment.
In the creation of semi-legal bodies like the association cl Relatives of Political Prisoners, the Association of ex-Political Prisoners, the unemployment ALLURE SLICES children's dising rooms, ians" and women's organisations allowed by the junta, like neighbourbood mothers" centres and so on. This year there have been very important mobilisations which have broken circle of the International Womca's Day, La political event against the janta, where they chanted in chorus, which attracted more than 3000 demonstrators, even though it was banned. been prepeded by two weeks of intensive agitation factories, schools, and neighbourhoods Could you say a little about the position of today and in the resistance.
Women in confront the imposed on all the people. It is this brutality the organise themselves.
they themselves suffer unem ployment (worse for women), persecution, jail, torture (made worse by sexual murder and disappearance. favours Left-wing grated into the resistance in factor semi-legal cabinet relatives of political prisoners and disappeared, people's dining rooms and so political involvement of women the period, have slowly created n potential and their to oppression, Because as women clear still the socinlism.
But also have forward immediately elimination of every because of oppression.
women as a social group, that of the indigenous minorities and so on The nood to take up this ideological battle is obvious to monopolistic made of women materials, Popular Unity The right used the mass media mouse responded to the role they were Even m captause sacy good housewives, mothers and responded well been obviously a political weakness towards women in general, a failure to attack the ideological noots of wonten's oppression. This is what we have to do from nOw oil. have If we can demonstrate that specific oppression of women is thc a necessity system it will be possible to and develop a revolutionary consclousness.
Bur we believe that this must STEERS TO OLIRILIEL COTOUCIS American people are so terrible that they will not allow this if the feminist problems of women What de sou think of setting up a gromp in exile like the Latin the committees, repressive dictatorship; the "Freedom, Froedom'.
This evear had the women in Chile Chile:
which moves mobilise and Because torture), women are Inte all -the organisations Unity GRETE ENRIQUEZ of their specific goal: good that groups of establishment to go to the of Including that of during the Government who WONI was CORICHIS separated from the movements are the asslume here. American Women's Group? each country In this context we think it is Latin And American worsen organise in exile. It allows you to get to koow the political situation in its aspects Cap match between Scotland and Pern in Argentina.
secretary, Ernie Roberts, former ALEW assistant general secretar avuilable from Socialist Challenge.
and particularly of women. We can learn more, systematise more. very in portantiy allows to publicise the Latin American situation - in both SOME of the 50 people who picketed the Peravign emhassy last Saturday to demand an end to the state of emergency in Peru and the release of politicul prisoners. The picket was the day of the World OF particular concern is the fate of peasunt leader Hugo Blanco and 12 others currently heid h Jujur in northern Argentina, where they were deported by the Peruvian Government. The pleket demanded a safe conduet for the 13, und demanded that the British Goverument give them the right of Latest signutories to an appeal against the repression in Peru include Alan Fisher, NEPE genero andidate, Sed Bidwell MP. Tom Litterick MP and Ron Thomas MP. Copies of the appeal are context of where we are, as wel as developing consciousness among Latin geberal and Latin America women in particular on th specific situation of women. and now prospective Labou SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 8 June 1978 page 9