In a press conference held in Santiago on October 19th, the leadership of the Communist Party of Chile (Partido Comunista de Chile) condemned the policy of repression exercised by the right-wing government of Sebastián Piñera during the last days of uprising in the country's capital.
The Communist Party's President, Guillermo Teillier said: "Applying the Internal State Security Law causes outrage to protesters. Politics are militarized and democracy is locked", adding that "if President Piñera is unable to govern, he must step aside and call for new elections".
Teillier underlined that what is taking place in Chile these days is social unrest and denounced the government for labelling the demonstrators as "criminals"; "Who? The workers? The women? The students?" added the PCC leader.
From her side, Communist Party's MP Camila Vallejo pointed out that the government follows the custom of right-wing administrations "to blame the communists" for "all the acts of violence". Vallejo said that the current situation came as a result of the governmental policies, stressing out that the Pinero administration promised "better days" to the Chilean people but, instead, it moved towards cuts in the rights of workers and the youth.
MP Vallejo stated that while salaries have not risen, several essential products and services have become more expensive, adding that apart from the increase on subway fares, there is substantial increase in the prices of fuel, gas, electricity and other commodities. "The increases affect the pocket of the people, those who earn miserable pensions and very low salaries; that is the majority of Chileans" said Camila Vallejo.
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| Guillermo Teillier, the Communist Party's head, during press conference. |
Daniel Jadue, a cadre of the Communist Party who is also the mayor of Recoleta, a municipality in the north of Santiago Province, stated that he and other mayors will not attend any government meeting, until the State of Emergency is lifted and the military forces are removed from the streets.
"Blaming the Communist Party is an old strategy" said Jadue, adding that "there are some people who have commented that we should be outlawed. What the governmental spokeswoman said today is the extension of the policy of physical and political extermination of the Communist Party. Today, since they can't kill us, they blame us for everything".