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In a message full of indignation and determination, the President of the Board of Directors of the Iran 3037 Memory and Human Rights Association, Alejandra Holzapfel, issued a strong statement regarding the recent attack on the Iran 3037 memorial, also known as the former Sexy Band, a emblematic place that remembers the dark days of the civil-military dictatorship in Chile.
The declaration, addressed to “comrades,” addresses the crucial importance of protecting Places or Sites of Memory as an integral part of the fight to preserve the country’s historical memory. Holzapfel highlights the brave work of various Human Rights organizations that have dedicated their efforts to making visible and bearing witness to the crimes against humanity that occurred during that dark period of Chilean history.
The President condemns the recent attack on the Iran memorial 3037, pointing out that this cowardly act, perpetrated by far-right groups, represents an attempt to deny, relativize and justify the crimes against humanity committed at that site during the dictatorship. The persistence of these grievances requires, according to Holzapfel, a firm and united response from society committed to truth and justice.
The statement reveals that Iran 3037 has been vandalized four times, the most recent being on January 22, 2024. Holzapfel emphasizes that each act of vandalism not only affects the physical location, but represents an attempt to erase the memory of what that happened there. The destruction of a mosaic, according to her, is not only an attack on the place, but an attempt to obscure the truth and history of those who suffered and died at that site.
Resistance to these acts of vandalism is presented as an act of love and respect towards the companions who still live in the hearts of those who fight for truth and justice. Holzapfel calls for unity and the installation of surveillance cameras as a necessary tool to identify those responsible and end the impunity of these attacks.
The declaration concludes with a message of gratitude to those who have supported the fight for historical memory and a call to continue fighting, rebuilding and resisting, because truth and memory are indestructible.
