200 years ago, US President James Monroe set out a vision of US domination in the Western hemisphere. Since then, the United States has backed dozens of coups and dictatorships to defend its hemispheric domination.

In Chile, a revolutionary movement and its visionary leader Salvador Allende dared to challenge that domination to build a new, sovereign, socialist Chile. For their courage, Allende and his Popular Unity government confronted an “invisible blockade” and, ultimately, a bloody coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.

“Workers of my country, I have faith in Chile and its destiny,” Allende said in his final address from La Moneda, the presidential palace in Santiago as bombs rained down. “Go forward knowing that, sooner rather than later, the great avenues will open again where free men will walk to build a better society.”

To kick off the Progressive International’s campaign to dismantle the Monroe Doctrine, we are in Santiago to join the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the US-backed coup against President Salvador Allende.

On Saturday 9 September, we are holding an event in Recoleta, hosted by Mayor Daniel Jadue to, in his words, “vindicate the government of the Unidad Popular, to take a step forward in the dispute of historical memory and to reflect on the basis of democratic development in our country.

We will be joined by Baltasar Garzón (international human rights lawyer); Evgeny Morozov (Creator, “The Santiago Boys”); and Clara López Obregón (Senator, Colombia); Gerardo Torres Zelaya (Vice Foreign Minister, Honduras) among many others.

You can join us in person at 1400 local time at the Zócalo, Municipality of Recoleta, or online by signing up here. To support the event, you can also buy the beautiful campaign poster designed by the Progressive International’s award-winning artist, Gabriel Silveira.

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Manifiesta for the future

This weekend, Amazon workers from five countries – including Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls — will gather at the Belgian coast for Manifiesta, the country’s progressive political festival, to build transnational links between the rank-and-file, expose Amazon’s abuse of workers and build power to Make Amazon Pay.

Other progressive leaders from around the world, including the PI Council member Jeremy Corbyn, will also speak across the weekend. You can still get a ticket here.

Bulldozing India’s poor for the G20

This weekend Delhi will welcome the leaders of the G20. The capital’s residents are not part of the picture Prime Minister Modi wants to show the world, with street vendors, beggars and the poor cleared off the streets. As PI Council Member Harsh Mander writes this week, “behind the blinding glitter of India’s mounting wealth is the dense darkness of India’s stubborn and desperate poverty. What India’s government would not want its powerful guests from around to recall is that of all the G20 countries, India has the lowest per capita income and the lowest ranking in the Global Hunger Index, and that indeed India is home to the largest numbers of poor and malnourished people in the world.”

Artwork: Allende Vive, poster by Gabriel Silveira, available for purchase in the PI workshop.