One frustrated October 5th
October 5th, 2006: 18th anniversary of the election that took former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet out of office. An alliance of 17 parties, ranging from Christian Democrats to Communists, campaigned to remove Pinochet from power, while the Chilean government and a couple of right-wing parties continued to rally support for the dictator; the latter group lost. After 17 years of dictatorship, Chile chose to go back to democracy. Of course, this is a big thing most Chileans are proud of, and the ones that voted No and those who despise Pinochet’s regime –as all who call themselves democrats should– celebrate this date as democracy’s triumph.
I am an alumnus of the Chilean Catholic University (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile). As a student, I worked with a political group called El Sector – Progresistas UC, something like Progressives, identified with but independent of with the Socialist and Democratic Parties (Partido Socialista y Partido por la Democracia), both Social Democrat parties. I am no longer there, but the current students in the group invited me and some other alumni to join them in an act organized to celebrate October 5th, Democracy’s Day, at my old college.
They organized the event very carefully. Two bands were there to play, as well as a projector ready to show videos from the campaign and from the very October 5th, 1988. Students from all four campuses were invited through e-mails, blog, posters, and every paper with the proper authorizations in order to bring the event to life. I was proud of those kids, most of them whom I know.
At 6 PM, about 40 of us - Sectarians, ex Sectarians, and regular students - were sitting there in the grass waiting for the event to begin when I noticed that the campus’ security guards had arrived. I have been there before, and I figured out what was happening: the event was being called of. Campus administration ordered to cancel the event.
Why? We never knew. The event could not go on because of the discipline measures the University could have enforced on the guys responsible for the event, and of course because the guards would have shut down the power necessary for the equipment.
In Chile, law forces every school that receives Government funding, whether directly or indirectly, to guarantee conditions for students to speak their minds publicly. Thus, the Catholic University has the obligation to allow this kind of event as long as it sticks to the procedures and norms the school has; this event did. This is not anything but stepping over the civil rights of the college’s students, a lack of respect to all of us who were there for the event, and a total insult to the kids that organized this small event, which was not violating any of college’s rules, and which only tried celebrate this date, one of which, as Chileans, we all must be proud of.
Sometimes I am embarrassed.
I am an alumnus of the Chilean Catholic University (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile). As a student, I worked with a political group called El Sector – Progresistas UC, something like Progressives, identified with but independent of with the Socialist and Democratic Parties (Partido Socialista y Partido por la Democracia), both Social Democrat parties. I am no longer there, but the current students in the group invited me and some other alumni to join them in an act organized to celebrate October 5th, Democracy’s Day, at my old college.
They organized the event very carefully. Two bands were there to play, as well as a projector ready to show videos from the campaign and from the very October 5th, 1988. Students from all four campuses were invited through e-mails, blog, posters, and every paper with the proper authorizations in order to bring the event to life. I was proud of those kids, most of them whom I know.At 6 PM, about 40 of us - Sectarians, ex Sectarians, and regular students - were sitting there in the grass waiting for the event to begin when I noticed that the campus’ security guards had arrived. I have been there before, and I figured out what was happening: the event was being called of. Campus administration ordered to cancel the event.
Why? We never knew. The event could not go on because of the discipline measures the University could have enforced on the guys responsible for the event, and of course because the guards would have shut down the power necessary for the equipment.
In Chile, law forces every school that receives Government funding, whether directly or indirectly, to guarantee conditions for students to speak their minds publicly. Thus, the Catholic University has the obligation to allow this kind of event as long as it sticks to the procedures and norms the school has; this event did. This is not anything but stepping over the civil rights of the college’s students, a lack of respect to all of us who were there for the event, and a total insult to the kids that organized this small event, which was not violating any of college’s rules, and which only tried celebrate this date, one of which, as Chileans, we all must be proud of.
Sometimes I am embarrassed.
visits so far.
