A mob of far-left protesters took over the La Moneda Palace, the seat of Chile's president, and stormed the General Cemetery of Santiago where they set fire to the tomb of the iconic Senator Jaime Guzman, a key ally of General Augusto Pinochet and known for being "The Creator" of the Constitution of 1980 in the South American country.
🇨🇱 Manifestantes de izquierda asaltan el Cementerio General de Santiago de Chile y prenden fuego a la tumba de Jaime Guzmán pic.twitter.com/XAsSlvSrmK
— La Razón (@larazon_es) September 10, 2023
The events occurred on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the coup against former President Salvador Allende, who committed suicide during the event at the La Moneda Palace according to official records, which is disputed by critics of the Pinochet government.
The assault on Guzman's grave by leftist protesters caused much controversy in the trans-Andean country, with political figures rising against progressive President Gabriel Boric for failing to control the mob that seized the presidential headquarters and general cemetery.
"Instead of leading the march, President Boric should have been at the cemetery, defending Jaime Guzmán's right to rest in peace. Every year the same violent scene is repeated and no President has had the courage to defeat violence and impunity," José Antonio Kast, a former Chilean presidential candidate, wrote on Twitter.
En vez de liderar la marcha, el Presidente Boric debió haber estado en el cementerio, defendiendo el derecho de Jaime Guzmán a descansar en paz. Todos los años se repite la misma escena violenta y ningun Presidente ha tenido el coraje de derrotar la violencia y la impunidad pic.twitter.com/GuwY7e3GXD
— José Antonio Kast Rist 🇨🇱 (@joseantoniokast) September 10, 2023
A key figure in Chilean politics
Guzmán was one of the most important politicians in modern Chilean history, being one of the founders of the political party called "Independent Democratic Union" (UDI), created during Pinochet's term.
After leading the founding of UDI and playing a key role in the drafting of the 1980 Constitution, Guzmán was elected as a senator in March 1990 where he stood out for opposing a Constitutional Reform project that, he denounced, would serve to pardon terrorists.
Because of his opposition to the reform, which ultimately failed to pass, Guzmán became one of the greatest enemies of the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (Autonomous), a communist guerrilla group that orchestrated an armed assault against the senator on April 1, 1991.
That day, two Frentistas waited for Guzmán outside the East Campus of the Catholic University, where he taught Constitutional Law, and opened fire on him.
The senator died hours later, from a gunshot wound.
Leftist groups, in addition to Guzman's tomb, also attacked the Mausoleum of the Carabineros, one of the most important police institutions in Chile and South America.
"As an institution we condemn the cowardly attack against the Mausoleum of Carabineros. It is an insult to the memory of our martyrs, of the Chileans who gave their lives for the Homeland," said Ricardo Yáñez, general director of the Carabineros.
“Como Institución condenamos el cobarde ataque contra el Mausoleo de Carabineros. Es un insulto a la memoria de nuestros mártires, de los chilenos que dieron la vida por la Patria”. Palabras del General Director, Ricardo Yáñez, por grave atentado al interior del… pic.twitter.com/TwAZhw7p1p
— Carabineros de Chile (@Carabdechile) September 10, 2023
