September 11

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Transcript:

September 11

Dear mothers, fathers and loved ones of those who died on September the 11^th in New York. I’m a Chilean, I live in London, so I`d like to tell you, perhaps we have something in common. Your loved ones were murdered, as mine were and we share a date: September 11^th, Tuesday September 11^th.

In 1970 there was an election I was 18 and I voted for the first time. We had this beautiful dream to build a society in which our people could share the fruit of their work, the wealth of the country, so in September 1970 we all went to vote and we won. (Spanish song). There was milk and education for the children. Unused land was given to landless peasants, coal, the copper mines and the main industries became owned by all of us. For the first time the lives of people had dignity. (Spanish) But we didn`t know how dangerous that was.

Your Secretary of State Henry Kissinger announced: “I don`t see why we should stand by and let a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people”.

Our democratic decision, our votes were not relevant. The market, the profits are more important than democracy. From that moment onwards, our pain and your pain was legalized. Your president Nixon said he would make our economy scream. He told the CIA to play a direct role in organizing a military uprising, a coup d’état.

10 million dollars or more if necessary were available to get rid of our president Salvador Allende.

Friends, your leaders set out to destroy us; they provoked a transport strike that almost paralyzed our economy. They stopped all trade between us, which created chaos. They worked with those in our country who would not accept our victory. Your dollars supported neofascist groups who brought violence to our streets and bombed factories and power stations.

Amazingly, it didn’t work. (Spanish). In the municipal elections we actually increased our support, so what did the USA do? Bush: “On September the 11^th enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country and night fell on a different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack”. On September 11^th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country. At first light on that morning, troops and tanks advanced on our presidential palace. Allende, his ministers and advisers were inside. Allende did not flee as the palace was fired. (Spanish). He was murdered, he was murdered. Tuesday, our Tuesday too, 11^th September 1973; a day that destroyed our lives forever.

I got shot through my knee and later they smashed my head against the dirt road. They hit me so many times and sometimes I lost consciousness. (song in Spanish). One day in prison I pulled myself to the grille. I saw Germán Castro being dragged by the arms. He couldn’t walk; he was bleeding from the ears. They broke his bones and then they murdered him. We learnt about the torture camps run by the officers of the army trained in the school of the Americas, in the USA. We learnt about those disemboweled, thrown out from helicopters of those tortured in front of their children and spouses. Do you know what they did? They put electricity to the genitalia parts. They put rats in the women vaginas. They trained dogs to rape women and then we learnt about the caravans of death. The generals went from town to town ordering executions at random.

Thirty thousand were murdered, thirty thousand¡ your ambassador to Chile complained about torture, but Kissinger replied: “tell him to cut out the political science lessons” General Pinochet, who organized the coup, smiled and accepted the Secretary of State’s congratulations of a job well done and the dollars started to flow again to Chile.

They called me a terrorist, sentenced me to a life in prison without a trial or defense. I was released after 5 years but I had to leave my country for the safety of my friends. I cannot go back to Chile now, even though it’s all I think of. Chile’s my home but, what happen to my children? They were born here in London; I cannot sentence them to exile like I was. I cannot do that now but I long to go home with all my heart.

San Agustin said: “Hope had two beautiful daughters: anger and courage”. Anger at the way the things are and courage to change them.

Mothers, fathers and loved ones of those who died in New York, soon it will be the 29^th anniversary of Tuesday 11^th of September and the first anniversary of yours. We will remember you; I hope you will remember us.

Pablo

Glossary

• Stand by: v. be present while something bad happen without doing anything.
• Uprising: n. fighting by ordinary people against those in power.
• set out: v. arrange or display things.
• Dragged: v. drag: pull sb/sth along with effort and difficulty.
• Bleeding: v. bleed: lose blood.
• run by: to present to
• Disemboweled: n. to take out the bowels of. Bowel: one of the divisions of the intestines -- usually used in plural except in medical use.
• long: v. to want something very much.

Listening comprehension questions:

1.    Where is the speaker from?

2 Who is he addressing to?

3.What happened in 1970?

4. How old was the speaker in 1970?

5.   What was the investment to get rid of President Allende?

6.   What were the actions carried out by USA government against Chilean democracy?

7.What did Allende do as his palace was fired? 

What happened in 1973?

9.  What happened to Germán Castro?

10. Where was the army trained?

11. What did the army do in Chile?

12. How many people were murdered in chile?

13. What did Kissinger answer to the USA ambassador’s complaints?

14. What happened to Pablo after he was arrested?

15. Where is Pablo living currently?

16. What did San Agustin say?