Since the 20th of January of this year the first non-Mapuche group in Chile is fighting for the recovery of their lands. The group is leading an occupation of the Mundo Nuevo farm, which righteously belongs to them and is currently illegally owned by the Aurauco company.
The group consists of up to 200 peasants, who are part of the Sindicato de Campesinos y Descendientes de Fundo Mundo Nuevo (Syndicate of Peasants and Descendants of the Mundo Nuevo farm). This historic fight is led by the peasants, who originally bought the lands from government in the years 1940 to 1961, and their descendants, which range from sons and daughters to great-grandchildren.
The lands got taken away from these people in 1976 after the coup of 1973, which installed Pinochet as the fascist ruler of Chile.
First, many of the peasants were intimidated by Aurauco to give up their land. The ones, who were not thinking of forfeiting theirs, were met with violent oppression. Schools and buildings they had built for themselves and neighboring communities were destroyed. Many of the peasants recall being threatened by the military with being shot and thrown into the river. Some, who had already decided to leave, just as they were about to pick up their belongings, saw their homes go up in flames.
The farmers are currently occupying the territories, which belong to them and are going against the illegal occupation of the Aurauco company. In a prior attempt to occupy these territories the group was faced by the Aurauco company. When Aurauco asked for their papers, the peasants showed them theirs, when the peasants asked Aurauco, they had nothing to show. Instead they went away and returned with 20 workers wielding axes and chainsaws, who destroyed everything the peasants had built. This experience shows how little effect legalistic ways have in such conflicts, but also the rightful struggle of the syndicate and also the right character in their actions of land occupation.
It's right to rebel and it's right to take the land back of the rulers!
