Public Statement Made by Mapuche Communities of Makewe
Tuesday January 10, 2012
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The communities of the Makewe territories, who reject the construction of a new regional airport in our territory, state the following: |
1-.Once again, we strongly denounce this project that invades
Mapuche land and life, as no dialogue with affected communities has
ever been started or continued. We are opposed with our lives to
this multinational corporate project.
2 -. We also denounce that various media has been used by government
delegations to hide the true magnitude of opposition to its new
regional airport. Without going further, during yesterday Monday 09
January, Minister Lavin announced a dialogue with communities in the
area. This was in a secret conversation, hidden from the communities
that truly represent the territory. This media manipulation seems
outrageous and is directly manufactured by the government itself.
3-.As a rejection of these actions, the Makewe territory has been mobilized
since yesterday and we are expressing ourselves by blocking the main
road access routes to Temuco. Today however, we have seen the
repression of the communities of the area, who were not participating
in the demonstrations, go too far: Members of the GOPE and police
entered without warrants to whichever houses they wanted, surrounding
the community with two helicopters that tried countless times to land
in our yards. More than 200 police officers surrounded our homes and even detained two women who were guarding their home from tear gas and police shooting their animals.
4 -. Our women were attacked, receiving butts in various
parts of the faces and bodies INSIDE THEIR OWN YARD, and when they did
not allow the police into their land, they were arrested, tearing a
child of a year and a half from the arms of his mother leaving him
without anyone to care for him and his two siblings, both minors, who
witnessed and tried to resist the violent beating and arrest of their
mother and sister.
5 -. At this time, the two sisters are being held in the third
police station of Padre las Casas, waiting to be formally charged, which will
take place tomorrow. Even police officers in command, addressed the issue in
the national press, declaring that these women had escaped along with
hooded protesters who started the rally. These are irresponsible words
by the executors of aggression and human rights abuses in Mapuche territory.
6 -. We declare that all these accusations are part of a deliberate
government attempt to criminalize the Mapuche struggle for the defence of their land
throughout the Wallmapu (Mapuche territory). Firstly, by accusing the
Mapuche movement of being responsible for igniting the forest fires
that plague our area and now, by accusing our sisters of aggression, when they themselves were the true victims of police brutality in the Territory of Makewe.
7 - However, these measures of repression against the Mapuche people
defending their territory do not frighten us and instead, give us more
strength to continue in the defence of our life, our sacred natural
spaces and our self-determination within Mapuche communities.
Marichiweu!
Makewe-Rofue Territory
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Translated by Alejandro Fernandez