MikeDunnAuthor<p>Today in Labor History September 4, 1970: Socialist Salvador Allende was elected President of Chile. As president, he tried to nationalize major industries, expand education and improve conditions for the working class. On September 11, 1973 (the other 9/11), he was ousted in a coup by Augusto Pinochet, leading to a dictatorship that lasted until 1990. Thousands of workers, socialists, union members and activists were killed, including folk singer Victor Jara, who continued to sing, as his torturers beat him up, mashed his fingers in front of thousands of other prisoners in the Estadio Chile. He sang “Venceremos” (We Shall Win) through split lips. Before being riddled with 40 bullets, he managed to compose the song “Estadio Chile” and get it smuggled out; "How hard it is to sing when I must sing of horror. / Horror which I am living, horror which I am dying." The coup and dictatorship were supported by the CIA, and by President Nixon, and by the Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, who later won the Nobel Peace Prize.</p><p>Here's is an interview & rare live footage of Jara singing his classic: El Derecho de Vivir en Paz.<br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSZ5bC0WIGw" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">youtube.com/watch?v=GSZ5bC0WIG</span><span class="invisible">w</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/workingclass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>workingclass</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LaborHistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LaborHistory</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/chile" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>chile</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/allende" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>allende</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cia</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/victorjara" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>victorjara</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/pinochet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pinochet</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/dictatorship" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>dictatorship</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/kissinger" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>kissinger</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nixon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>nixon</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/socialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>socialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/union" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>union</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/folkmusic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>folkmusic</span></a></p>