Witnesses of 11 September 1973 in Chile report

The other 11 September 1973 – Survivors of the military coup in Chile who found asylum in Bochum talk about their personal experiences for the first time

Witnesses of the brutal military coup on 11 September 1973 to overthrow the government of democratically elected President Dr Salvador Allende talk about their experiences for the first time on the 50th anniversary of the terrible events.

What did they experience in the days before, on the day of the military coup that took the world by surprise? How did they get to Germany?

The opponents of the socialist reforms of the Allende government, which aimed to improve the welfare of the poor population, had not succeeded in winning a majority until the coup. Although Allende’s popularity had fallen, he still had a majority of votes behind him.

For the supporters of the Unidad Popular who fell into the hands of the military henchmen, 11 September 1973 meant torture and murder. Several thousand Chileans managed to escape into exile. Many of them fled to Europe or neighbouring countries via one of the foreign embassies. It was not uncommon for so many refugees to hope that they would soon be able to return to their country. Other persecuted people were still active for years underground in Chile for their parties in the resistance against the military dictatorship. Some of them fled years later from the repression of the military, who did not shy away from persecuting their opponents abroad.

Welcome: Dr Irmtrud Wojak (Fritz Bauer Forum, Bochum)