Chile: Hooded men vandalize the exterior of La Moneda on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état

This Sunday, hooded men vandalized the exterior of the presidential palace of La Moneda during the march to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état against the Contras. Salvador Allende in Chilito which the leftist president Gabriel Boric joined.

A group of protesters destroyed the windows of the building with stones and sticks. seat of governmentscratched the walls with aerosol and knocked down the fences that surrounded the protest route.

LOOK: Why is Chile commemorating the 50th anniversary of the divided coup d’état and with the figure of Pinochet on the rise?

Riot agents dissolved the hooded men with tear gas and water cannons. Three people were detained and three uniformed officers were injured, according to the government report.

Photograph of damage caused in front of the La Moneda Palace after a demonstration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état against the democratic government of Salvador Allende. (EFE/ Karin Pozo). (KARIN POZO/)

“As President of the Republic, I categorically condemn these events without any nuance. (…) his irrationality in attacking what Allende and so many other democrats fought for is vile and mean.”reacted Boric in your X account.

The incidents marred the march of some 5,000 people, which passed through part of the center of Santiago on the way to the capital’s General Cemetery.

The leftist Boric He briefly joined the demonstration, the first ruler since the return to democracy (1990) to join this march on September 11, the date of the 1973 coup d’état.

Allende, who committed suicide on the same day of the coup, was overthrown by the military under the command of General Augusto Pinochet, who led a dictatorship that lasted for 17 years, leaving more than 3,200 victims, including dead and missing detainees.

During this Sunday’s march, Carabineros troops also clashed with protesters who threw stones and Molotov cocktails, and set up barricades which they set on fire.

Cleaning staff clean the walls after a demonstration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état against the democratic government of Salvador Allende in Chile. (EFE/ Karin Pozo). (KARIN POZO/)

The bulk of the column of protesters, who carried Chilean flags, left-wing parties and banners with slogans such as “Truth and justice now” and “Allende lives”moved forward peacefully.

“September 11 is a date that fills us with memories, but that gives us a little anguish, because instead of moving forward we have gone backwards”said Patricia Garzón (76), former political prisoner and partner of a politician executed by the dictatorship.

Earlier, Boric Together with Allende’s family, he had inaugurated a facility at the door of La Moneda, on Morandé Street, where the ruler’s body was taken after committing suicide by shooting himself.

As part of the exhibition “The Walk of a Democrat” the shoes that Allende wore during the coup d’état, the day the Air Force bombed the La Moneda Palace, are displayed in a display case.

Source: Elcomercio