NOT TO THE STATE OF EMERGENCY! LIFT THE CURFEW!
TROOPS OUT OF MAULE AND BIO-BIO REGIONS!

WORKERS AND PEOPLE SOLIDARITY! WORKERS AND PEOPLE ACTIONS TO BRING A SOLUTION TO THE CURRENT SOCIAL CRISIS!

1.- On Sunday 28th the Chilean government decreed a state of emergency, a measure that the right wing had been demanding. The Army have been placed in charge of the supply and distribution of goods in the Maule and Bio-Bio regions, and the defence minister announced a curfew between 9pm to 6am. Freedom of association and meeting has been cancelled and the National Defence Guard is in charge of the situation with the aim of restore “public order”, that is to protect the security of the ruling class in the face of the obvious lootings, not only in the already mentioned areas but also in Concepcion, as the main focus, and in poor and working class neighbourhoods in Santiago such as Quilicura and Lampa. Only on Sunday around 105 people were arrested because of the lootings, 55 at night during the curfew, while more than 10,000 troops were sent on Monday.

2.- The government of “La Concertación” has been an accomplice to the right wing’s policies by mounting an operation against the working people and has shown its real character, that is, to be there to serve the interests of the rich and the bosses. The control of the situation has been handed to the Army! Meanwhile, thousands of workers and poor in the cities and rural towns are suffering starvation, misery and are victims of the lack of response by the government, which is not able to supply them with food. There is no electricity, water supply nor food. Now the authorities are trying to distribute crumbs in an “orderly way” to the victims of the earthquake in order to avoid social conflict. They are doing this via the army and the business class who are trying to give a quick once-over as a direct accomplice of this situation. The death toll has risen to 711 already, and there are almost 500 missing people. Unofficial figures estimated that the death toll is up to 1,000. The lootings in Concepción, Maule and some neighbourhoods in Santiago, are product of the complete misery and the shortage of supplies that have pushed thousands of people into a desperate situation to carry the lootings. We reject the criminalisation of these acts! We reject the intervention and control by the Army that they are there only to safeguard the interest of the business world. Troops out! Lift the estate of emergency and the curfew!

3.-The social crisis of historical magnitude that has arisen after the earthquake it is not in any case due to “natural causes”. It is due to the thirst for profits of the construction businessmen and companies that make money out of workers suffering. They have made millions while they were giving to the workers and poor sectors houses in bad conditions and not appropriate for earthquakes and earth tremor. At the same time they were doing buildings designed to withstand earthquakes for the rich and the ruling class. This happened in the country with the highest number of earthquakes! All this was done with the complicity of the public works policies of “La Concertación” and the right wing.

4.- Workers, trade union, students, women, residents and left wing organisations must openly condemn the government and the right wing and to demand the immediate withdrawal of the Army. Alongside the CUT (Chilean TUC), the FECH (Students’ Federation) and other social organisations, we must spread the organisation and the widest solidarity with all the families affected by the earthquake, ensuring the distribution and supply of food to the population. It is necessary to start organising the widest unity possible to coordinate these actions and to promote social mobilisation in view of the social crisis in course. We need to prepare united actions of the workers and the oppressed people and women on March the 8th, as a demonstration that the working class, led by the CUT alongside the women movement, students and poor sectors can take into their own hands the solution to this catastrophe.

Army off the streets! Lift the curfew!

For organisation alongside the CUT, the FECH and popular organisations committees to guarantee the distribution of all supplies! For the immediate restoration of basic services for the popular sectors!

Against the companies that build houses of dreadful quality for the workers! Against the businessmen that ask for their interests to be protected while the people are starving!

Against the government that was responsible in first place for approving the plans to build bad quality homes that are now collapsing, and it is now sending troops to the street in an attempt to criminalise the people that has nothing to eat!.

Against the right wing that is asking for more militaries!

In view of the lack of houses: URBAN REFORM NOW. All empty houses, mansions, churches and schools must be EXPROPRIATED and converted into temporary houses until decent homes ARE BUILT FOR THE POOR.

Clase contra Clase

01 / 03 / 2010