«Premeditated and Hate-Fueled Attack»: Government and INDH Report Memorial Destruction in San Joaquín to Authorities

Original article: Ataque “con odio y premeditación”: INDH y Gobierno denuncian ante Fiscalía destrucción del memorial en San Joaquín

Labelled as an act carried out «with hate and premeditation,» the memorial «El Vuelo,» located in the San Joaquín commune and dedicated to 78 victims of human rights violations during the civil-military dictatorship, was completely destroyed in the early hours of December 24. This incident marks the second attack on the symbolic monument in less than a month, prompting a unified condemnation from the Government and the National Human Rights Institute (INDH), who have filed complaints with the Metropolitan South Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the events.

Justice and Human Rights Minister Jaime Gajardo strongly condemned the attack and immediately took legal action.

«Vandalism of a site of memory is unacceptable, and alongside the necessary reports, we must vehemently and universally condemn these acts,» stated the Secretary of State via his X account.

Gajardo underscored the political severity of the incident, directly linking it to the denial of the crimes committed in the country under Augusto Pinochet’s regime.

«We cannot allow any space for political violence and for those whose actions seek to deny human rights violations during the military dictatorship,» he indicated.

Systematic Destruction of Memory

The attack was not an isolated event. According to the 3 and 4 Álamos Corporation, an organization of survivors and memory advocates that oversees the site, the first act of vandalism occurred on December 10, when three of the four bronze doves that comprise the «El Vuelo» sculpture, crafted by artist Francisco Gacitúa, were stolen.

At that time, they described that the artwork «was severed and broken with no regard for the memory of the 78 victims of the dictatorship it seeks to evoke.»

After that initial theft, only one dove remained on its pedestal at the corner of Sebastopol and Santa Rosa. However, in the early hours of Christmas Eve, the attackers returned to destroy the last piece standing.

The Corporation was unequivocal in its denunciation: «This was not merely vandalism. It was carried out with hate and premeditation.»

Unanimous Condemnation and Formal Complaints

The Subsecretariat of Human Rights joined the condemnation of the vandalistic acts and the legal action taken.

«Acts of violence of this nature are intolerable for Chilean democracy and deserve universal rejection,» they expressed in a statement.

The institution detailed that the attack was against «a place of memory for 78 individuals who were victims of human rights violations» and submitted a formal complaint «to request the initiation of an investigation and prompt clarification of the facts.»

Simultaneously, the National Human Rights Institute (INDH) filed its own complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office and issued an urgent call to authorities to take action.

«In light of the second attack in less than a month on the memorial remembering 78 victims of the dictatorship located in San Joaquín, the INDH urges authorities to investigate these assaults promptly and to implement effective measures that guarantee the protection of memory sites,» they stated, as reported by Diario Universidad de Chile.

Symbol of Pain and Resistance

The memorial stands in a site rich with tragic history, specifically commemorating Manuel Recabarren Rojas, his sons Luis Emilio and Manuel Guillermo, and his daughter-in-law Nalvia Rosa Mena—who was pregnant at the time of her detention—all executed by the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) in 1974, during the dictatorship.

Recabarren was married to Ana González, founder of the Group of Relatives of the Disappeared Detainees (AFDD), who is also honored in the monument. The loss of her entire family turned her into a national symbol of the quest for truth, justice, and restitution.

The 3 and 4 Álamos Corporation described the sculpture before its destruction: four entwined doves, of which, after the initial attack, only one remained «solitary and unwavering in its mission and purpose: human rights.» Its destruction is seen as a symbolic assault against this narrative of resistance and mourning.

A Concerning Pattern of Attacks

The organization warns that this is not an isolated incident but part of a string of harassments against memory sites across the country. They mention threats and acts of vandalism at the House of Memory José Domingo Cañas, the former Santa Lucía Clinic, and the Providence Memory Site in Antofagasta.

In light of this escalation, the 3 and 4 Álamos Corporation demands not only justice for the attack on the memorial but a broader commitment to preserving historical memory.

«As the 3 and 4 Álamos Corporation… we demand not only respect for the memory of the 78 human rights victims of San Joaquín but also timely police investigation and justice that has been denied to us for so many years,» they assert.

«We know well that without memory, there is no justice, and without justice, there is no social peace,» they emphasize.

The Metropolitan South Prosecutor’s Office now holds the investigation to identify and hold accountable those responsible for these attacks, which have not only wounded the symbolic heritage of a community but also the right of society to remember and honor its history.