For most people in Britain, 11 September marks the anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centres in New York.

In Chile, the date resonates for another reason. On 11 September 1973, a military coup was launched against Chile’s socialist president, Salvador Allende. That morning, British-made Hawker Hunter jets bombed La Moneda, Chile’s presidential palace, while tanks patrolled the surrounding streets of Santiago. By the end of the day, Allende was dead and the Chilean military had taken power.

What followed was a 17-year-long military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet, under which thousands of civilians were killed, and tens of thousands more were tortured. The US government’s role in the Chilean coup is well known. US President Richard Nixon infamously ordered the CIA to “make the economy scream” in Chile, and launched a series of covert operations against Allende’s government. The UK government’s role in the death of Chile’s democracy and the rise of the Pinochet regime is less known.

Documentary filmmaker Pablo Navarrete and investigative journalist John McEvoy travelled to Chile in June 2023 to film for a forthcoming documentary investigating the hidden role of Britain in the destruction of Chile’s democracy and support for Pinochet. The spoke to the relatives of British nationals who were killed by the Pinochet regime, torture survivors, award-winning Chilean journalists, and former Chilean officials. They also spoke with Pablo Sepúlveda Allende, the grandson of the former Chilean president, about Britain’s hidden hand in Chile. These two events will show rough cuts of the interviews with Pablo Sepúlveda Allende: the first by John McEvoy focusing on the UK’s machinations in Chile, what John’s investigations have uncovered and Pablo Sepúlveda Allende’s thoughts on all this. Read an article about the interview here. The second interview was done by Pablo Navarrete and focuses on Pablo Sepúlveda Allende’s thoughts on his grandfather’s government and legacy and what he thinks about recent political developments in Chile, including the performance of the Gabriel Boric government. Each video interview is about 20 mins long and will have English subtitles. Pablo Sepulveda Allende will join the second event from Chile via Zoom to answer questions.

Venue: The University of Sheffield, Lecture Theatre 7, The Diamond, 32 Leavygreave Road, Sheffield, S3 7RD Wheelchair Accessible

Programme: 

5pm-6.45pm: Film 1 (Title TBC, roughly 20 mins) introduced by John McEvoy. Film will start at 5.25pm.

Followed by a Q&A with John chaired by Peter Watt (Senior Lecturer, Latin American Studies, University of Sheffield and host of Alborada’s The Americas Uncovered podcast)

Sign up to a free ticket HERE

7pm-8.30pm: Film 2 (Title TBC, roughly 20 mins) introduced by Pablo Navarrete. Film will start at 7.10pm. Followed by a Q&A (via Zoom) with Pablo Sepúlveda Allende (Salvador Allende’s grandson, chaired by Peter Watt (Senior Lecturer, Latin American Studies, University of Sheffield and host of Alborada’s The Americas Uncovered podcast)

Sign up to a free ticket HERE.

For further details, please contact: Peter Watt p.watt@sheffield.ac.uk or Pablo Navarrete info@alborada.net

Event hosted by Sheffield University and Alborada