0:01:16.618,0:01:19.454 Oh, hello, welcome to System Fail, 0:01:19.454,0:01:21.998 the show where progress is a relative concept. 0:01:21.998,0:01:23.124 I'm a woman of color. 0:01:23.374,0:01:24.375 Oh, wow. 0:01:24.375,0:01:25.376 I am a mom. 0:01:25.460,0:01:26.920 Oh, wow! 0:01:26.920,0:01:31.257 I am a cisgender millenial who's been [br]diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. 0:01:31.382,0:01:32.759 Oh my God. 0:01:33.093,0:01:37.764 I am intersectional, [br]but my existence is not a box checking exercise. 0:01:39.224,0:01:45.438 I refuse to internalize misguided [br]patriarchal ideas of what a woman can or should be. 0:01:45.480,0:01:50.777 I stand here today a proud[br]first generation Latina and officer at CIA. 0:01:50.985,0:01:54.030 ♫ I got the eye of the tiger 0:01:54.072,0:01:58.201 a fighter, dancing through the fire 0:01:58.201,0:02:01.079 'Cuz I am a champion, 0:02:01.079,0:02:04.749 and you're gonna hear me roar ♫ 0:02:04.749,0:02:05.667 What the fuck! 0:02:06.501,0:02:08.837 I am disgusted. 0:02:08.837,0:02:10.380 I'm your host, Dee Dos 0:02:10.380,0:02:14.259 and with the exception of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and preppers, 0:02:14.342,0:02:15.760 We're not so silly now, are we? 0:02:15.760,0:02:18.138 Here's to the end of the world! 0:02:18.138,0:02:19.514 [group] Cheers! 0:02:19.514,0:02:21.766 It's been a trying year for the human race. 0:02:22.976,0:02:24.519 I want to fucking die. 0:02:24.519,0:02:30.024 For those caught up in this whirlwind of[br]generalized outrage and constant anxiety, 0:02:31.401,0:02:37.240 It can be easy to forget that 2019 was marked [br]by a wave of popular insurrections, 0:02:37.240,0:02:40.118 unlike anything seen in more than half a century. 0:03:15.111,0:03:19.157 From Haiti to Hong Kong, [br]people took to the streets in historic numbers 0:03:19.157,0:03:23.244 and fought pitched street battles [br]with heavily armed state security agents 0:03:23.786,0:03:25.997 and the forces of paramilitary reaction. 0:03:28.166,0:03:30.001 Revolt spread across borders, 0:03:30.126,0:03:33.046 and tactics developed in one country were taken up 0:03:33.046,0:03:35.757 and adopted by comrades, thousands of miles away. 0:03:36.382,0:03:40.178 New unities were forged[br]behind barricades and in occupied squares 0:03:40.887,0:03:43.473 rooted in common experiences of corruption, 0:03:43.473,0:03:44.724 police impunity, 0:03:44.724,0:03:48.144 and the generalized alienation of so-called late capitalism. 0:03:48.686,0:03:50.188 And then all of a sudden, 0:03:50.563,0:03:52.273 In the past two weeks, 0:03:52.273,0:03:58.488 the number of cases of Covid-19 outside China [br]has increased thirteen fold. 0:03:58.488,0:04:03.534 The onset of the covid-19 pandemic [br]helped to empty the streets for a while, 0:04:03.534,0:04:07.455 but it did nothing to address the systemic issues [br]that had fueled the revolts. 0:04:07.914,0:04:11.209 And so it wasn't long before riots started back up 0:04:11.709,0:04:16.464 and new insurrections broke out in countries [br]that had been spared the first wave. 0:04:34.065,0:04:36.901 Peering into the flames of this global upheaval, 0:04:36.901,0:04:40.780 some commentators have seen the death rows[br]of neo-liberalism itself. 0:04:42.824,0:04:46.577 It is therefore rather fitting that some of the fiercest convulsions 0:04:46.577,0:04:49.414 came from the nation where this economic system was born, 0:04:51.624,0:04:52.125 Chile. 0:04:54.627,0:04:58.047 In the wake of the revolutionary upsurge of 1968, 0:04:58.047,0:05:01.634 Unrest which had lurk beneath the surface, spilled into the open. 0:05:01.634,0:05:03.469 Chaos ruled the streets. 0:05:03.469,0:05:09.100 Global capital responded by implementing[br]a large scale restructuring of the international economy. 0:05:12.020,0:05:15.648 They found a willing accomplice in General Augusto Pinochet. 0:05:16.941,0:05:21.446 After seizing power in a U.S. backed coup d'etat in 1973, 0:05:22.363,0:05:27.535 Pinochet installed a cadre of Milton Friedman's former students into top policy positions. 0:05:27.744,0:05:29.912 I never like this, eh... 0:05:29.996,0:05:35.501 [stuttering] 0:05:35.501,0:05:37.003 well, the dictatorship! 0:05:37.003,0:05:41.007 This group of free market economists known as the Chicago Boys, 0:05:41.382,0:05:42.967 Da Bears! 0:05:42.967,0:05:49.140 soon set to work transforming the country into[br]a vast laboratory for neoliberal shock therapy. 0:05:49.140,0:05:51.809 With the support of the IMF and World Bank, 0:05:51.809,0:05:53.394 Public spending was cut. 0:05:53.394,0:05:56.814 Resources, lands, and services were privatized, 0:05:56.814,0:05:59.650 and revelations changed to favour big business. 0:06:00.401,0:06:03.404 The ethical issues involved are subtle and complex. 0:06:04.030,0:06:06.824 Pinochet was removed from office in 1990 0:06:06.991,0:06:11.662 as part of the Chilean state's formal transition[br]from a dictatorship to a democracy. 0:06:11.746,0:06:13.790 Democracy is good, right? 0:06:14.123,0:06:17.710 Yet much of the state's repressive trappings were left intact, 0:06:17.710,0:06:21.964 including its constitution drafted by the military in 1980. 0:06:22.757,0:06:26.386 Over the following decades, [br]as the sheen of democracy has worn off, 0:06:26.677,0:06:28.304 And what seems to be the problem? 0:06:28.596,0:06:29.389 It doesn't work. 0:06:29.389,0:06:33.434 A deepening disillusionment [br]with the entire political class has set in 0:06:42.693,0:06:48.616 Providing fertile soil for some of the most[br]dynamic and militant social movements in the world. 0:07:08.636,0:07:12.765 Since the so-called Penguins' Revolution of 2006, 0:07:13.433,0:07:17.437 The Chilean student movement has served as a veritable factory of struggle, 0:07:19.564,0:07:23.985 Training hundreds of thousands of youth [br]in the use of confrontational tactics 0:07:23.985,0:07:27.613 and repeatedly paralyzing the entire society in its pursuit 0:07:27.613,0:07:30.658 of a new system of free participatory education. 0:07:36.289,0:07:42.253 Building on earlier mobilizations carried out [br]under the banner of 'Ni Una Menos' or 'Not One Less', 0:07:42.253,0:07:44.088 and the global 'Me Too' campaign, 0:07:44.088,0:07:50.052 In 2018, Chile's powerful feminist movement [br]launched a coordinated wave of protests, 0:07:50.052,0:07:53.973 blockades, and occupations to demand an end to harassment, 0:07:53.973,0:07:57.143 femicide, sexual assault, income inequality, 0:07:57.143,0:07:59.645 and the broader culture of machismo that underpin them. 0:08:08.696,0:08:11.991 Militant calls for the abolition of prescribed gender roles, 0:08:11.991,0:08:16.120 and persistent attacks on patriarchal institutions and social norms 0:08:16.120,0:08:19.749 have transformed Chilean feminism into a vital, catalyzing force 0:08:19.749,0:08:21.125 within popular movements, 0:08:21.125,0:08:25.838 and served as an example and inspiration to women [br]and gender transgressors worldwide. 0:08:37.517,0:08:41.062 Another important vein of resistance comes from the Mapuche, 0:08:41.354,0:08:43.981 the indigenous inhabitants of Wallmapu, 0:08:45.024,0:08:49.612 a nation located within the colonial borders [br]of the Chilean and Argentinean states. 0:08:50.696,0:08:55.868 Recent decades have seen a re-intensification[br]for the Mapuche struggle for self-determination, 0:08:55.868,0:08:58.663 which has manifested in a cultural resurgence, 0:08:58.663,0:09:00.331 long term land occupations, 0:09:00.331,0:09:03.459 increased attacks against extractive industries, 0:09:03.459,0:09:06.712 and a growing incorporation of [br]their demands for national sovereignty 0:09:06.712,0:09:08.756 within broader social mobilizations. 0:09:26.357,0:09:32.154 In 2018, Chile elected former President,[br]Sebastian Piñera, back into office. 0:09:33.614,0:09:36.534 Piñera is a billionaire who is prone to gaffes. 0:09:37.493,0:09:40.955 And has a history of making [br]misogynistic statements in public. 0:09:54.969,0:10:00.516 Suffice to say he is widely hated by participants [br]of all the major social movements in Chile. 0:10:14.614,0:10:17.491 On October 6th, 2019, 0:10:17.491,0:10:21.495 as an indigenous led insurrection [br]was spreading across nearby Ecuador. 0:10:26.208,0:10:29.837 Chile's Transportation Authority[br]announced a 30 percent hike 0:10:29.837,0:10:31.839 to Santiago's metro fare. 0:10:38.888,0:10:40.431 This did not go over well. 0:10:43.934,0:10:44.935 The next day, 0:10:44.935,0:10:47.063 calls for a mass fare-dodging campaign 0:10:47.063,0:10:49.607 began to circulate under the slogan, ¡EVADE! 0:10:51.609,0:10:53.611 In the days and weeks that followed, 0:10:53.611,0:10:57.948 a wave of coordinated actions swept across [br]Santiago's metro stations. 0:10:58.115,0:11:01.869 [chanting] Evade! Don't pay! There's another way to fight! 0:11:01.869,0:11:05.373 With thousands of high school students swarming the turnstiles, 0:11:05.373,0:11:07.416 sparking running battles with police, 0:11:08.709,0:11:09.960 On October 18th, 0:11:10.252,0:11:13.881 these steadily building tensions erupted into generalized rioting, 0:11:15.383,0:11:16.550 arson, 0:11:17.134,0:11:18.177 looting, 0:11:18.719,0:11:21.305 And the barricading of major roads across the capital. 0:11:22.723,0:11:24.684 What we have seen and heard in the streets 0:11:25.101,0:11:28.688 shows a massive rejection of the actual system as a whole. 0:11:29.939,0:11:32.441 Forty five years of free market fundamentalism 0:11:32.566,0:11:35.194 and the result is deep social inequality. 0:11:35.986,0:11:39.573 Piñero responded by declaring a state of emergency, 0:11:39.907,0:11:41.158 imposing a curfew, 0:11:41.534,0:11:44.453 and deploying the military to the streets[br]in a policing role 0:11:44.453,0:11:47.331 for the first time since the end of the dictatorship. 0:11:53.295,0:11:56.507 This did little to quell the unrest, [br]and by the next day, 0:11:56.507,0:12:00.219 the uprising had spread to Concepcíon and Valparaíso, 0:12:00.219,0:12:02.388 and things were just getting started. 0:12:07.601,0:12:09.353 Stores and subway stations torched 0:12:09.854,0:12:12.148 Over three days of nights of rioting, 0:12:12.148,0:12:16.861 nearly all of Santiago's 136 metro stations were vandalized, 0:12:18.571,0:12:20.239 78 were heavily damaged, 0:12:20.239,0:12:21.949 and 19 was set on fire. 0:12:23.617,0:12:27.037 Numerous busses and subway trains were also put to the torch, 0:12:27.329,0:12:30.082 along with several bus stops, banks, 0:12:30.458,0:12:33.502 and the headquarters of Italian energy company ENEL. 0:12:37.256,0:12:40.885 Wal-Mart later announced that 60 of its stores had been looted, 0:12:40.885,0:12:42.928 and six had been burned to the ground. 0:12:59.445,0:13:04.158 This violent uprising, dubbed the Estallido Social or social explosion, 0:13:04.283,0:13:07.244 soon transformed into a months long popular movement 0:13:07.244,0:13:10.289 that drew in millions of participants all across the country 0:13:10.289,0:13:13.125 and which was characterized by mass demonstrations, 0:13:14.001,0:13:16.545 the spread of territorial neighborhood assemblies, 0:13:17.338,0:13:19.882 and the refinement of street fighting tactics 0:13:19.882,0:13:24.136 developed by militants in Turkey, Greece, and Hong Kong. 0:13:37.274,0:13:39.652 In the face of these unrelenting protests, 0:13:40.194,0:13:45.533 on October 30th, Piñero announced the cancelation [br]of the COP25 climate conference 0:13:45.533,0:13:47.743 and the 2019 APEC Summit. 0:13:47.785,0:13:50.579 This is the summit where Xi Jinping and President Trump 0:13:50.579,0:13:53.290 were supposed to get together and do a trade deal. 0:13:53.749,0:13:55.626 Chile is pulling out of it! 0:13:56.001,0:13:59.171 This was the first time that a high level international meeting 0:13:59.171,0:14:04.426 had been shut down by protesters since the so-called[br]Battle of Seattle in 1999. 0:14:08.013,0:14:09.348 On November 15th, 0:14:09.473,0:14:13.686 Piñera announced a national referendum [br]on the drafting of a new constitution, 0:14:14.186,0:14:18.107 a long sought-after goal[br]of a segment of Chile's social movements. 0:14:21.402,0:14:22.820 Despite this concession, 0:14:22.820,0:14:26.448 clashes and demonstrations continued at a high level for months 0:14:26.448,0:14:29.910 up until the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic. 0:14:35.207,0:14:39.169 The Chilean state has ruthlessly used [br]this pandemic to its advantage. 0:14:39.545,0:14:41.547 This time they mean business. 0:14:41.964,0:14:44.717 That's the message Chile's government aims to send 0:14:44.717,0:14:47.803 by deploying thousands of soldiers onto the streets. 0:14:48.846,0:14:50.806 Since March 2020, 0:14:50.806,0:14:55.644 its military has enforced one of the longest running [br]and strictest lockdowns in the world. 0:15:05.654,0:15:08.782 The repression of the revolt has also taken a huge toll. 0:15:29.219,0:15:35.643 There have been 5,540 cases of documented [br]human rights violations against protesters, 0:15:35.643,0:15:39.146 including widespread rape and torture by police. 0:15:39.146,0:15:41.523 At least 36 people have been killed, 0:15:41.523,0:15:44.652 and 460 people have been shot in the eye. 0:16:04.713,0:16:09.426 Over the course of the uprising, [br]more than 27,000 people have been arrested. 0:16:22.022,0:16:26.026 And today, more than 2,500 of them [br]remain in prison. 0:16:26.026,0:16:27.569 Some have now been waiting 0:16:27.569,0:16:32.116 more than a year and a half [br]for their bail hearing or trial during the uprising. 0:16:32.116,0:16:33.784 The state passed new laws 0:16:33.784,0:16:37.663 further criminalizing looting[br]and the use of barricades at protests. 0:16:51.301,0:16:54.430 Before that, a change to Decree Law 321 0:16:54.430,0:16:58.517 gave the state additional power [br]and discretion over the granting of parole, 0:16:58.517,0:17:04.106 a change that effectively translates [br]into longer sentences for subversive anti-state prisoners. 0:17:05.149,0:17:06.650 On March 22nd, 0:17:06.650,0:17:11.238 nine anarchist prisoners launched[br]a coordinated hunger strike across four prisons 0:17:11.238,0:17:14.283 demanding the reinstatement of the previous parole policy 0:17:14.283,0:17:16.326 and freedom for Marcelo Villarroel 0:17:16.368,0:17:20.581 an anarchist militant who has [br]already served 25 years behind bars 0:17:20.581,0:17:24.001 and who now won't be eligible for release until 2036. 0:17:25.461,0:17:27.671 The hunger strike lasted 50 days, 0:17:27.671,0:17:30.841 during which time the prisoners faced [br]severe physical abuse, 0:17:30.841,0:17:32.342 including beatings, 0:17:32.342,0:17:33.427 forced exercise, 0:17:33.427,0:17:35.179 and the denial of water. 0:17:47.232,0:17:48.358 In recent years, 0:17:48.358,0:17:52.905 Chile has also witnessed a number of hunger strikes [br]by Mapuche prisoners 0:17:52.905,0:17:55.407 resisting the indefinite pre-trial detention 0:17:55.407,0:17:58.869 they faced under the country's colonial anti-terrorism laws. 0:17:58.869,0:18:01.580 Several of these have lasted for multiple months, 0:18:01.580,0:18:04.750 including one last year that involved 34 prisoners 0:18:04.750,0:18:07.836 and lasted an incredible 123 days. 0:18:28.398,0:18:32.903 The referendum on the new constitution [br]was held on October 25th of last year. 0:18:35.155,0:18:37.157 Despite a high level of abstention, 0:18:37.157,0:18:40.536 nearly 80 percent of voters supported a new constitution. 0:18:41.703,0:18:44.581 The next step came on the weekend of May 15, 0:18:44.915,0:18:49.670 when elections were held for the[br]155 person constitutional assembly 0:18:49.670,0:18:52.172 tasked with drafting the new constitution. 0:18:52.881,0:18:55.300 In a gesture to the country's social movements, 0:18:55.467,0:18:59.972 it was agreed in advance that this assembly [br]will feature an equal number of men and women, 0:19:00.639,0:19:04.143 plus representatives of 10 of the country's indigenous groups. 0:19:08.188,0:19:09.356 When this was announced, 0:19:09.356,0:19:13.944 Piñera's approval rating shot up five points[br]to a whopping seven percent. 0:19:18.198,0:19:22.327 This process has exposed divisions in terms of goals and strategy. 0:19:23.662,0:19:28.959 Many activists point to the real world [br]benefits of passing a progressive new constitution 0:19:28.959,0:19:32.963 and the need to cement gains won [br]through the past two decades of struggle 0:19:44.558,0:19:47.936 Others have taken issue with a constitutional assembly model 0:19:47.936,0:19:51.440 suggesting that the drafting of the Constitution [br]should have been carried out 0:19:51.440,0:19:53.400 by the neighborhood assemblies themselves. 0:20:01.116,0:20:06.914 Finally, there are anarchists who see the whole process [br]as a dangerous exercise and recuperation. 0:20:06.914,0:20:09.625 This is the spectacle at its most clear. 0:20:09.625,0:20:15.005 Social relations between people or groups of people mediated by images. 0:20:22.638,0:20:24.598 and a distraction from the struggle, 0:20:24.598,0:20:28.143 which still continues in the form of nightly clashes with the police. 0:20:29.144,0:20:31.855 And recent attacks on logging companies in Wallmapu. 0:20:46.370,0:20:52.084 To learn more about all of this, I recently caught up [br]with Santiago based anarchist, Javiera 0:20:52.084,0:20:54.294 Hey Javiera, how's it going? 0:20:54.294,0:20:55.128 Very good. 0:20:55.128,0:20:56.380 That's a nice mask. 0:20:57.547,0:21:00.467 Oh, you could wear it for the interview if you wanted. 0:21:07.391,0:21:10.686 What effects did the Estallido have on the Cilean society? 0:21:10.811,0:21:14.398 And how have things changed since the Covid-19 pandemic? 0:23:55.976,0:23:59.354 How did the practice of territorial assemblies emerge in Chile, 0:23:59.521,0:24:02.899 and what sorts of activities [br]have these assemblies carried out? 0:27:39.282,0:27:42.452 What are your thoughts on the constitutional assembly process? 0:27:42.577,0:27:47.540 What does it mean for a country to have its new constitution written by Pikachu? 0:30:16.981,0:30:17.941 Thanks Javiera 0:30:18.149,0:30:21.110 We've now reached the end of this episode of System Fail. 0:30:21.152,0:30:26.241 You can catch the full interview with Javiera, [br]along with another participant in the Chilean revolt 0:30:26.324,0:30:29.160 on an upcoming episode of the Circle A podcast. 0:30:29.160,0:30:32.539 For more English-language coverage on the social war in Chile, 0:30:32.664,0:30:39.254 check out the Crimethinc's Ex-worker podcast's, [br]Radio Invasion series or Enough is Enough 14.org 0:30:39.504,0:30:43.341 This episode was a collaboration with [br]our comrades at AantiMidia 0:30:43.341,0:30:44.884 and Windborn films. 0:30:44.884,0:30:49.055 Be sure and check out their documentary, Chile Veins of Resistance, 0:30:49.055,0:30:51.099 available on Kolektiva.Media 0:30:51.099,0:30:54.352 or at our website, VeinsofResistance.net 0:30:54.352,0:30:57.605 Due to their woefully insufficient processing capabilities, 0:30:57.605,0:31:03.736 my human produces at SubMedia have informed me[br]that this show will be placed on a temporary hiatus 0:31:03.736,0:31:06.990 while they focus their vapid attention spans on another project. 0:31:07.198,0:31:11.703 Expect me to return in the fall with some upgrades to my operating system 0:31:11.703,0:31:13.955 and other improvements to the show's format 0:31:14.080,0:31:15.540 To support SubMedia, 0:31:15.707,0:31:20.044 Consider making a one time donation or signing up to be a monthly sustainer 0:31:20.044,0:31:22.046 at Sub.Media/Donate 0:31:22.171,0:31:27.135 You can also support us by buying [br]some of our merchandise at Sub.Media/gear 0:31:27.135,0:31:31.055 Be sure and follow us on your corporate[br]data-mining platform of choice. 0:31:31.055,0:31:32.724 Just search for subMedia. 0:31:32.724,0:31:36.853 Or better yet, sign up for our mailing list and [br]get every new episode 0:31:36.853,0:31:38.771 delivered directly to your inbox. 0:31:38.771,0:31:40.440 Godspeed, humans.