The Association for Peace and Reconciliation in Araucanía (In

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ; ''APRA'' for short) is a civic movement in the

Araucanía Region The Araucanía ( ), La Araucanía Region ( ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions, and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south. Its capital and largest city is Temuco; other important cities ...

that condemns arson attacks associated with the regional conflict and advocates for the defense of farmers and forestry workers affected by attacks directly related to the

Mapuche conflict The Mapuche conflict () involves indigenous Mapuche communities, known by the foreigners as the Araucanians, located in Araucanía and nearby regions of Chile and Argentina. The first attack, marking the beginning of the period of violence i ...

. The organization has been described by media as

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

for its anti- indigenist rhetoric. The organization is also critical of Mapuche community members in the area, whom it has described as "violentists", and according to its vice president, the organization "documents on social media the attacks by Mapuches against the rest of the Araucanians"

History

The organization first appeared in January 2019, in response to land occupations, arson attacks on truckers from extractive companies, and murders that occurred in the region. Among these, the most notable are the attack on the couple Werner Luchsinger and Vivianne Mackay in 2013, the death of Juan Barrios in February 2020, and the homicide of Carabinero Eugenio Nain in October of the same year.

Activities

Within the context of the incidents in the Araucanía in 2020, on July 27 of that year, Mapuche community members held demonstrations in various communes of the

Araucanía region The Araucanía ( ), La Araucanía Region ( ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions, and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south. Its capital and largest city is Temuco; other important cities ...

in support of the

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

led by machi Celestino Córdova. The gathering in

Curacautín Curacautín, which means "Gathering Stone" in Mapudungun, is a Communes of Chile, commune and List of cities in Chile, city in the Chilean province of Malleco Province, Malleco. Curacautín is located 90 kilometres northeast of Temuco, in a valley ...

, a city in the region, ended with the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

being occupied by Mapuche indigenist protesters, and it was evicted on August 1, 2020 after a clash between local residents and supporters of Córdova's petition. Various Chilean media outlets report that APRA played a crucial role in the eviction, calling on residents to attend the municipality to end the violence. During these evictions, civil protesters made "racist" chants against the Mapuche people, which, combined with destruction amid what appeared to be a passive stance from the

Carabineros The was an armed carabiniers force of Spain under both the monarchy and the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic. The formal mission of this paramilitary gendarmerie was to patrol the coasts and borders of the country, operating against ...

, caused national repercussions. APRA's activities include the dissemination of information such as news, meetings, propaganda, and political disputes over violence in the area, as well as the civil organization of farmers and victims of rural violence. Many of the news they have shared have been proven to be false. They were even ordered by the Court of Appeals of Temuco to remove content from their social media, as it was considered denigratory.

Impact

Its followers have allegedly committed assaults against Manuela Royo, a lawyer who has sponsored various legal actions against the organization. Gloria Naveillán, the spokesperson for the group, supported the candidate

José Antonio Kast José Antonio Kast Rist (born 18 January 1966), also known by his initials JAK, is a Chilean lawyer and politician. He is running for president in the 2025 Chilean general election, for the third time. Part of the prominent Kast family, he se ...

during the 2021 Chilean presidential election. This same person is mentioned in the 2015 report "Organized farmer groups and potential confrontation with indigenous community members" by Carabineros de Chile. It has been labeled as an extreme right organization by various

online newspaper An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the electronic publishing, online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical literature, periodical. Goin ...

References

{{reflist Organizations established in 2019 Social movements in Chile Conservatism in Chile Right-wing politics in Chile Anti-communism in Chile

History

Activities

Impact

See also

References