1973 Chile coup was defining moment for French left
The bloody overthrow of Chile’s Socialist government in September 11, 1973 sparked the political awakening of an entire generation of left-wing activists in France.
Forty years ago, the brutal overthrow of Chile’s democratically-elected president, Salvador Allende, shocked the world and marked the start of a repressive, 16-year-long dictatorship. The fateful date also became a defining moment for left-wing activists in France.
“An entire generation entered into politics because of the mobilization around Chile,” said Geneviève Jacques, the president of Cimade, one of the main refugee NGOs in France. “Young people discovered political organizing for the first time by going to meetings to help victims of the coup.”
Martine Billard, a former MP representing Paris and co-president of the Left Party, was a university student in 1973, and remembered Allende’s ouster and death as a “catastrophe”. Since then, she has followed events in Chile closely and travelled to the South American country on numerous occasions.
“The political activity after the coup was very intense,” Billard told FRANCE 24. “Besides the Vietnam War, it was probably the largest international cause adopted by French activists. Solidarity campaigns were organised at the national and local level, even in factories.”
Billard was among many left-wing politicians on Wednesday commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chilean coup in Salvador Allende Square in Paris’ 7th district. It is an annual gathering that brings together Chilean expatriates and French people, and one Billard never misses.
http://www.france24.com/en/20130911-1973-chile-1973-coup-defining-moment-france-left-communist-socialist-party