The debate on violence has overshadowed the discussion on free abortion

Three women and a rifleman badaulted with a sharp weapon, as part of the march for free abortion, last Wednesday in Santiago, is a fact "never seen before", according to experts, and that comes out of Ordinary With regard to the troubles or incidents that are usually recorded in the manifestations

According to Macarena Castañeda, spokeswoman of the Coordinadora Feministas in Lucha – who called for this march six years ago – , they have never seen this level of violence in other demonstrations, Since 2013, they have the same motto: to promote the debate on a free, legal, safe and free abortion.

The events, which occurred after 9:00 pm, began when hooded men barricaded the march, reprimanded by the demonstrators. In addition, a group called Movimiento Patriota Social unfolded a web against activists and poured blood and animal gut into the streets. In the middle of all this, three women were stabbed by strangers, and they had to be transferred to the old central station.

These actions were severely criticized and had a transversal rejection. The government, at the voice of Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick, has announced a criminal complaint through the Intendency Metropolitan against those responsible for injuries. "These are absolutely reprehensible and reprehensible actions: zero tolerance against all acts of violence, especially when a peaceful march takes place," said the secretary of state, who promised a government action to work with the prosecution and the police.

Former President Michelle Bachelet commented by her Twitter: "I deeply repudiate the violent attacks against 3 women who participated last night (Wednesday) in the #AbortoLibre march in Chile. intimidation of social movements recalls the worst years of dictatorship and is unacceptable in a democratic country. "

Parliamentarians and representatives of society repudiated what happened. Among them, MP Karol Cariola (PC) requested a meeting with the Chief of Public Prosecutions, Jorge Abbott, to request a special prosecutor. Also, today, Struggle's feminist coordinator will file a lawsuit against the North-Central District Attorney's Office officials "to demand that the concerted attacks against the protesters be investigated thoroughly." ".

"I condemn the cowardly attack that they received women in the march for free abortion, although we thought differently we can not let violence be the weapon to defend ideas, "said Deputy (RN) Sebastián Torrealba

" We must reject this cowardly and brutal attack on women who marched for a free abortion. "We must respect differences of opinion. opinion and give the guarantees of a peaceful debate, "writes Marcela Sabat (RN) on Twitter.

Meanwhile, after the lawsuit filed by Kelly Barrera, one of the women badaulted, l & # 39; 39 Investigating the charge of Carabineros, who until yesterday, and after examining the security cameras of the incident area, had not identified the attackers.

Alert

L 39 Argentinian Rosanna Fanjul, activist of the National Campaign for the Right to Legal Abortion, Seguro y Gratuito, from the a federal capital, is in Chile to support the local event. And despite the mbadive marches that took place in the Trans-African country – where free abortion has already been approved by deputies – "we have never had an aggression like that which s & # 39; is produced here in Santiago, with a knife in full mobilization. He added that he only remembers an isolated situation on the street, where a pregnant woman hit another stomach wearing a green handkerchief, symbol of the free abortion movement. "Violence was more visible in parliamentary debates and social networks, but we denounced everything that seems to have incited hatred."

Patricia Bustamante, another Trans-Andean activist, spoke about what happened and said, "It looks lamentable and we are totally in solidarity with Chilean women."
Although the badault has not yet been tried to an anti-abortion group, these protests took place as part of a feminist protest for Claudio Avendaño. and teacher of the U. of Santiago, should be an alert to the authorities: "This type of behavior should be closed quickly, because otherwise it can reach more and opens the possibility that these groups feel that they have the permissiveness and that they can act again. "He added that" there is no condemnation of the state and we see that there is an element of opacity in front of what happened, they could continue to act. "

In the same vein, Nelson Morales, sociologist and violence expert for the mayor. Wednesday is "a public warning and an alarm, and it's something we have not seen before." The expert added that this type of situation occurs when controversial issues for society "are not taken or discussed in institutional settings". For this reason, he called on parliamentarians and the government to "participate in the conversation, which must be conducted at a higher level.Chilean society must take a step forward." Meanwhile, at the end of this edition, there were incidents in the protest called by the feminist coordinator in Fight.