Story: Nazrul Hussain
Chile Sports, Culture and Development Association (SCDA) moved into Abbeyfield House last month after fifteen years in nearby Norbury Resource Centre.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the bloody military coup led by General Pinochet in Chile, which overthrew the democratically elected government. Chile SCDA is planning a range of activities to commemorate the event.
The Messenger interviewed Pedro Fuentes, chair of Chile SCDA. Pedro is a Chilean refugee who came to the UK during Augusto Pinochet’s terrifying reign of power. From September to December 1973, about 250,000 Chilean people were detained. 3000 people were executed, ‘disappeared’ or lost their lives as a result of torture and political violence during Pinochet’s leadership. Political parties in Chile were outlawed. Anyone with a beard, moustache or long hair was accused of being against Pinochet.
Pedro was those arrested and jailed for three years. While there, his family fought for him to get a visa to the UK.
“I was shocked and puzzled when I received the visa to the UK, I wasn’t aware of it at all. Anyone seen approaching the embassy was arrested and put in jail so it was very difficult. They had to be very careful not to get caught contacting the embassy. When we first came over from Chile, all the refugees were in London. From there, people were sent to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield and all over the UK.”
Pedro went on to tell us about what he used to do before the coup.
“I was working for the National Institute of Skills and Training, which was a government organisation, and I was also a member of my union – which was normal in Chile. 85% to 90% percent of people that worked in government institutes were jailed.”
The Chilean group has remained involved in political activities in the UK.
“We have been involved in the UK with protests: we have been there during poll tax and issues like that. We also supported the miners’ strike. That was a really interesting experience".
Chile SCDA has been active in Burngreave for over 15 years. We asked what type of events the organisation have held in the past.
“We wanted the new generations of Chilean people to understand the sets of principles and values we brought with us from home because that is very important to us. So we would go away for a week with 50 to 70 people and have children playing together and we collectively organized food, games and a big range of activities. It helped children and adults to better understand what community and family is.”
As 2013 is the 40th anniversary of the coup, Pedro’s organisation is particularly busy.
“We want to commemorate people who were killed or ‘disappeared’ – there are still people who were never found. We have a range of things happening and a calendar with event information on our website http://www.chile40yearson.org.”