Jadue, Villa Francia, and Corporate Defense

El Líbero, July 12, 2024

Let us not be misled by the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Jadue and Villa Francia represent serious crimes. Institutions must do their job and make it clear that in Chile, those who break the law are punished for it.

It is difficult not to notice the statements from representatives of the Communist Party regarding the events surrounding the case of the mayor of Recoleta Daniel Jadue and the raid at the radio station of Villa Francia where a large quantity of weapons was seized. The essence of both situations relates to crimes, yet both are defended from an ideological standpoint.

Daniel Jadue is a “political prisoner,” a claim made even by international leftist leaders such as Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and the case of Villa Francia is described as a “political setup by the government” according to the president of the PC. However, the truth is that the mayor is formally charged with bribery, tax fraud, breach of trust, and fraud. In Villa Francia, the Court of Appeals placed the detainees in preventive custody due to substantial evidence suggesting their involvement in the crime. The labels of setup and political prisoner could not be further from reality.

Nevertheless, it is understandable that these concepts are used, as the Communist Party comes from a tradition that views violence as a means to gain power and finds the use of force by the democratic state quite uncomfortable. The Marxist revolution realized by Lenin solidified this view, which was later followed by Castro’s Cuba. The difference is that in Chile, the revolution was not established through arms, and the path to socialism was pursued peacefully.

In this sense, our country has been quite unique. Democracy is the model aspired to by all, and each uses it to achieve their objectives. In this regard, the PC is currently demonstrating a significant generational shift. The younger members are part of a government that condemns human rights violations, regardless of their source, and that defends democracy and the functioning of its institutions. For them, in the cases of Jadue and Villa Francia, institutional integrity must prevail, and if a crime has been committed, it must be punished, while some still defend a narrative from the last century where the state’s use of force bothers them.

Historically, violence has been a tool for the PC. It is unclear whether they have renounced it, as it has always been an effective method of political action for this sector. The issue is that we no longer live in a Cold War context, and security has become the state’s main priority, thus the corporate defense of the last century does not withstand the current context.

The new generations defend democracy and use it as the vehicle to gain power. It seems, at times, that violence has been set aside and that they are exchanging one tool for another. That is, violence for democracy. The political context is not the same, and adjustments must be made to it.

Let us not be misled by the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Jadue and Villa Francia represent serious crimes. Institutions must do their job and make it clear that in Chile, those who break the law are punished for it.

Pilar Lizana
Researcher, AthenaLab

Source: El Líbero