We reproduce here the words of the President of the Teachers Union of Chile and member of Unidad Social – which is calling for a national strike tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday, October 24, more information at: http://www.colegiodeprofesores.cl/2019/10/22/se-convoca-a-huelga-general-en-todo-chile-el-23-y-24-de-octubre/ – at a press conference held this morning in Santiago:
“Teachers are part of this people of Chile, we are part of the ‘Patipelaos’, we are part of those who are despised by this elite that governs us, this arrogant elite, this elite that has systematically abused us for years and that today seeks – and I want to denounce it here – today seeks to make a way out of the ‘kitchen’ [de cocina: not serious] type.
Today, the President of the Republic has summoned four supposedly opposition parties to “seek a settlement”. We denounce that. This is a negotiation as has been done so many times before and of which the people are tired.
Let the political parties know, let the political parties know that much of the tiredness is also with them, it is also with these negotiations behind people’s backs. We, as teachers I am sure that no one here accepts that a negotiation should be made behind the backs of that citizenry that is mobilising.
They didn’t mobilise these people who are on the streets today, they haven’t. They have been the cause, they have been part of this crisis, so they cannot lend themselves to a new operation. They are going to receive repudiation not only from social organizations if they lend themselves to this maneuver, but above all they are going to receive repudiation from the citizens.
Therefore we call on them not to lend themselves to any “exit” or any “solution” that is behind people’s backs, that is without social movements, that is without the social world.
For this reason also, tomorrow teachers together with the whole social world and with all the citizens, we will be in the streets marching and on Thursday we will also participate actively in the general strike that is being called today.”
Translation Pressenza London
