The events of January 4 have been attributed to the Mapuches and the president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, has ordered a strict use of the Anti-Terrorist Law that has much of the Pinochet heritage. Police operations are already under way in several localities of the Mapuches. The 22-year-old Mapuche, Matías Catrileo, who was murdered by the police four years ago, has again come to light, as is often the case with unclosed wounds.

Relations between the people of Mapuche and the State of Chile are difficult. Since 1883 the indigenous people have claimed their territory and the State has declared them, so to speak, war, denying many of their fundamental rights.

Currently, about 800,000 Mapuches live, most of them in Araucania and the southern parts of the country. Their poor relationship with the current right-wing president, Piñera, has deteriorated completely since the beginning of 2013. La Hemeroteca has no more to look at to see Piñera’s grudge towards this native town, spread with the help of the country’s main media. The term terrorist is used in full on Mapuche themes.

Mapuche activists have launched attacks on land-based latifundists, setting off assets and not usually causing deaths. Also on the Mapuexpress website, the authors of the January 4 action say that they “crossed the red line”. But why did they kill Luchsinger and his wife?

Death of Matías Catrileo

The murder of Matías Catrileo by shots fired by Chilean police in 2008 is key to understanding what is happening today in Araucania. The Mapuexpress area is explained as follows: “If the encapuchados burned Luchsinger, his wife and his property, Catrileo’s death was in a remembrance act. Catrileo’s death was the cause of the wick of this bomb that now explodes.”

In an action against the Latifundists, Catrileo and other members entered the lands of Luchsinger (1,200 hectares), a territory that the Mapuches proclaim to be theirs. Authorized by the Chilean Anti-Terrorism Act, the security forces paid by the State were guarding these lands, and the police, seeing that the Mapuches entered the area, started firing. A bullet hit Catrileo on his back, pierced him through his lung and died within minutes. The fueled Mapuches took the body and the news spread faster than the gunpowder through the community radios until reaching the main newspapers. The police who fired attempted to falsify the evidence and when he was finally tried by the military, he was not convicted. At present, the man continues to work in the police force.

Since then, the Mapuches have called for justice, making the youth a symbol of their cause. On January 4, the Mapuches worship Catrileo's memory.

Following the death of Luchsinger and McKay, the Chilean state is taking the military police to the areas where the Mapuche live, which has caused disturbances between the police and the citizens.