To: All the female and male Chilean students, and to their families.
In the face of the attacks on education by the Chilean government and the accompanying pressures of national and international financial corporations, a strong, sizeable and inspiring student movement exists.
Student activists are doing everything possible to protect public education because education is a right for everyone and should not be sold.
We state that:
We sympathise with and we fully support all Chilean students.
Education should be free and accessible.
Education, besides being free and accessible, should be critical and feminist, in order for gender relations to be non sexist and non homophobic.
We want to highlight the pivotal role of thousands of female and male students who dared to challenge the current unjust social order.
We believe that these women and men with their actions have demonstrated themselves to be active citizens, building and participating in the transformation of their society.
We welcome their uprising, which has been original and creative, resilient yet dignified. This vision has attracted global attention and we trust that their efforts will succeed.
We recognise the commitment of the student leader, Camila Vallejo, who has faced much patriarchal adversity and we support her cause as a just cause that seeks the welfare of all students who are subject to the current punitive regime of unfair debt.
We condemn the killing of the young teenager Manuel Gutierrez and we denounce the Chilean government's repression of the student demonstrations with tear gas and with illegal detentions of students.
Colectivo Mujer supports Chilean students, women and men, who seek justice for all without distinction of class, race, gender or sexual orientation.
Free education for everyone!
Critical and feminist education for everyone!
Colectivo Mujer
Sydney, Australia