Short film brings Belgian solidarity after coup in Chile to life

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Photo of the ambassador to Chile addressing a room in front of a projection screen

The Belgian ambassador to Chile addresses the guests at the premiere of the short film in the residence (© FPS Foreign affairs).

In a moving and hopeful short film, Chilean refugees testify as to how they found refuge in the residence of the Belgian embassy after the 1973 coup. Belgium was then one of the most inclusive European countries.  

Fifty years ago – on 11 September 1973, in the midst of the Cold War – a brutal coup d'état took place in Chile. Socialist President Salvador Allende was deposed by the military and replaced by General Augusto Pinochet. Thousands of Allende supporters were arrested, and sometimes executed too.
 

Residence as a refuge


In the months following the coup, no fewer than 106 people being pursued by the military regime found refuge in the residence of the Belgian embassy in the capital of Santiago. Initially, the embassy staff improvised their own reception. A few days later, the Belgian government confirmed its support for hosting the refugees.

Some refugees stayed at the residence for several months. But ultimately, all of them were able to leave Chile thanks to safe-conducts obtained by the Belgian embassy. In all, many thousands of Chileans found refuge in Belgium and the rest of Europe.
 

Sober and poignant short film


On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the coup, our embassy in Santiago highlighted the memorable era. It asked the Chilean director Camilo Cuevas to collect testimonials from Chileans who were able to take refuge in the Belgian residence 50 years ago. The film-maker filmed the testimonials in the residence itself, which has hardly changed after all these years. Result: a sober and moving short film that brings the dramatic events of the weeks following 11 September 1973 back to life.

The report was premiered at the residence, in the presence of a number of refugees and their families alongside representatives of Chile's Foreign and Justice Ministers, a former Minister, local government representatives and ambassadors from several countries.
 

A wealth of historical information


The screening was followed by a round-table discussion in which some witnesses – including former minister Ominami – elaborated on the events. All expressed their gratitude to Belgium for their rescue and the opportunity to start a new life.

The film was also shown during the reception on the occasion of King's Day – also at the residence. Among the audience at the time were the serving Foreign Minister, the Secretary of State for Human Rights and numerous personalities from the public sphere and the business world.

Interesting detail: the short film made it possible to track down some additional witnesses, who were also filmed. Along with the round-table discussion and the complete recordings of the testimonials – only fragments of which ended up in the report – they constitute a wealth of historical information that deserves to see further use.
 

VRT footage on TVN


In addition, our embassy provided VRT footage from that period to the European Union delegation. Indeed, it produced a series with the Chilean public broadcaster TVN – Televisión Nacional de Chile – on the aid from European countries after the coup. The series was aired for several nights in a row in prime time on TVN, the most popular channel in Chile.
 

Posters of General Poblete


Finally, Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI) – with the active support of our embassy – organised an exhibition at the Museo de la Memoria y de los Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). Theme: historical posters from General Poblete's collection accompanied by versions reworked by young Chilean contemporary artists. It became a brilliant exhibition that very expressively highlighted the huge wave of solidarity that arose in Belgium after the coup.

General Sergio Poblete was Secretary of State for Heavy Industry in the Allende government when the coup occurred. He always remained loyal to Allende and spent two years in prison. At the request of the Belgian government, he was able to flee to Belgium, where he built a new life in Liège.

During the remembrance of the coup in Chile, at any rate, Belgium's role of solidarity did not go unnoticed. Although other European countries also showed their support, of course, Belgium's great solidarity remained underexposed until now. The various activities staged by our embassy in Santiago brought those historic moments back into the limelight.

You can watch the short film – interspersed with historical footage and footage of the residency – here (26', Spanish spoken, English subtitles).