Poster from Hollywood's violent move The Purge. File photo.
Xenophobia against Venezuelans in Chile shows no sign of diminishing. Recently posters and flyers began to circulate calling for a “purge” or night of extermination against Venezuelan migrants residing in Chile.
“Night of extermination. All Chile United against illegal immigration,” reads one of the flyers.
These flyers calling for extermination of Venezuelan migrants are circulating both in the streets and in social media platforms, inviting Chileans to carry out this “purge” on February 21. Some extreme right groups of Chile are the promoters of this fascist and genocidal activity.
Denuncia GRAVE:
En #Chile, circulan carteles y volantes (en redes sociales, las calles y WhatsApp), llamando a una "noche de exterminio" o "purga" contra los migrantes venezolanos el #21Feb.
El fascismo intentando ganar terreno.
¡Exigimos investigación inmediata y justicia! pic.twitter.com/AaP0DS0sTQ
— ✽ Orlenys Ortiz 🍁🍃 (@OrlenysOV) February 18, 2022
One of the messages on social media calling Chileans for the purge activity states: “Monday, February 21, 10 p.m. Night of purge! Chileans, don’t leave your homes. That night we will say goodbye to Venezuelans forever.”
Some social media users have repudiated these expressions of hate, highlighting that such messages are being circulated with the intention of generating fear among Venezuelan migrants living in Chile.
In recent months, there have been recurrent acts of xenophobia against Venezuelans in Chile, and the attacks have been increasingly violent.
One of the most recent attacks occurred on January 30, when a group of Chileans destroyed a Venezuelan migrant camp in the northern coastal city of Iquique.
That incident was the second such occurrence in that city. A group of Chileans aggressively destroyed the migrants’ tents and their belongings, shouting slogans like “Criminals out!” and “Go away!”
Much of the Venezuelan migration is the last few years has been the result of US-imposed sanctions on Venezuela, decimating the country’s economy and destroying livelihoods. In addition, right-wing governments of various Latin American countries, following the failed US plan to oust President Maduro, encouraged and promoted massive migration of Venezuelans between 2012 and 2016 as part of the “humanitarian crisis” campaign. After accomplishing their political objectives using the migrants, all these governments launched xenophobic campaigns to intimidate Venezuelan migrants and expelled them. The countries that have carried out the most shameful campaigns, according to many analysts, are Panama, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Aruba, Curaçao, and Trinidad and Tobago.
In Chile, various extreme right and anti-immigration groups have repeatedly convocated anti-immigrant marches, with the aim of pressurizing authorities to expel Venezuelan migrants.
Por redes sociales en Chile, circula una imagen que hace referencia a la película La Purga, invitando a agredir y expulsar a los migrantes venezolanos que viven en ese país. Una imagen que no compartiré y que les invito a denunciarla si les llega o la ven entre sus contactos.
— Jefferson Diaz :. (@Jefferson_Diaz) February 17, 2022
In the face of xenophobia suffered by Venezuelans in several countries of the region, the Venezuelan government announced a new stage of the Plan Vuelta a la Patria, providing Venezuelans with the opportunity to return to their own country with their families for free, through Conviasa flights.
Featured image: Poster from violent Hollywood movie The Purge. File photo.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
