"From North to South. From East to West. We will fight."

Discover the testimony of the women of Emmaus Concepción – Las Urracas who have been mobilised since October 2019 while various crises are shaking Chile.

The Las Urracas Emmaus Concepción community is located in the south of Chile.This community has always been characterised by its female leaders, who are engaged in social and political struggles. As such, the companions in the Emmaus community have not only played an important role in collection and recycling work, but also in political actions along with other social and political organisations, on the same path to transform the current capitalist system into one which is fair and supportive.

As a result, there have been intense demonstrations in Chile, rejecting the neoliberal system that for decades has exacerbated the inequalities between the rich and those who have little or nothing except their willingness to fight. Since October 2019, millions of young people, adults, grandparents, workers, and unemployed men and women have taken to the streets in Chile’s cities to protest. There were huge crowds and women played a leading role, voices were raised and were heard all over the world, especially thanks to the anthem promoted by a group of women called “Las Tesis” with a protest song against machismo society called “A rapist in your way”. This song was sung in many countries by women who have also been victims of abuse, simply because they are women and also because they are poor. As a result, the right-wing government led by Sebastián Piñera called on the military and the military police to repress the public, causing deaths and mutilating hundreds of people’s eyes.

“Today, in the context of the pandemic, we are still fighting to change the situation, not only for us as women, but also for all the poor and oppressed. We must also pay tribute to the hundreds of fighters who are still detained in prisons across the country for the simple crime of wanting a better society for men and women and respect of our Mother Nature. We would like to write more, as there is so much to say about the struggles of our companions, such as the intense, extensive struggle of the Mapuche people who have been fighting for more than 500 years for respect for their way of life and their world vision since the arrival of the Spanish. Today people and Nature continue to be exploited by greedy transnational companies. Mapuche men, women and children are imprisoned and killed. This noble and just struggle of the Mapuche Nation is wholeheartedly supported by Las Urracas.”

With love and best wishes,
Urracas Emaús Concepción