16 year old killed by police in stuggle for education
On August 26 a teenager was murdered in Santiago, 16 year old Manuel Gutierrez was shot in the chest in the Macul district by police who denied the shooting.
The victim’s brother witnessed the shooting, and initially thought it was a rubber bullet. It was only when the doctors announced boy’s death that he realised it had been a bullet.
Despite denials by the Police Chief of the involvement of police officers, relatives and friends of the teenager accused the police Special Forces, who were just 300 feet away, of the killing. They also pointed out that the boy was not fighting with the police.
A powerful general strike had been organised on August 24 and 25 led by students and workers in the struggle for free public education and against the neoliberal economic policy of Sebastián Piñera. Demonstrators shut down access to the mines, demanding the government put aside a percentage of mine revenues to go directly to develop the infrastructure of the region. Later in the day thousands of protesters marched through the town in support of miners and student movements.
The National Union of Workers of Industrial Assembly and Civil Works which represents 50,000 miners, donated 10m Chilean pesos ($21,000) to the Chilean Confederation of Students.
The strikes, intensified on the second day, and many marches took place in the major cities of Chile.
The government repression was brutal and apart from the killing of the teenager 1,394 protesters been arrested. The murder deepens the crisis the government is sinking into and its support at its lowest since the days of the Pinochet dictaorship. 
MANIFESTO OF THE BRAZILIAN STUDENT MOVEMENT
The National Association of Students – Free (ANEL) of Brazil has launched a manifesto in support of Chilean students. The purpose is to collect signatures from the Brazilian student movement and also from other countries to strengthen the struggle in Chile, as it is facing strong repression by the police forces of the Piñera government. The struggle of the Chilean students is the same as the struggle of Brazilian students and students across the world in defense of quality teaching, against cuts in public education and for universal access for all to public education, without discrimination.
The Brazilian students union (ANEL) went to Chile to support the struggle of the Chilean students. This struggle has created a serious political crisis for the government.
The International Socialist League calls on British student organizations to sign the Manifesto and where possible to send a delegation of students in active solidarity with the Chilean students. The ISL fully supports the struggle of Chilean workers and students for free and quality education for all.
We declare our full support to the struggle of the Chilean students and completely repudiate the repression carried out by the government of Sebastian Pinera.
Since May this year the student movement in Chile has organised the biggest demonstrations in the country since the days of dictatorship of half a million people. Their demand is free education in a country where there exists high levels of privatisation and very high fees for public universities.
Seven out of ten Chilean students have to study in the private sector and those who get into the public sector are forced to pay high enrolemnt fees which result in massive debt.
The struggle of students has the support of 80% of the Chilean population. Parents, teachers, health workers, transport workers and copper miners all support the protests. Occupations in the majority of colleges and universities are taking place alongside mass demonstrations and students have adopted creative methods of struggle that have been inspired by the demonstrations in the Arab world and Europe. 
In recent protests the Piñera government intensified its crackdown on the student movement, utisilising a law from the Pinochet dictatorship.
The police attacked the protesters leaving hundreds injured and took a thousand political prisoners. Today the government is experiencing a serious political crisis with the support of just 20% of the population.
The Brazilian student movement wants to convey through this Manifesto solidarity and strength to the students and workers to continue their fight to the end. Furthemore demands that the Piñera government immediately release the political prisoners and end the repression.
Public education, free and quality education is the right of all Chileans, it is not a commodity.
In Brazil we are committed to this fight and call on the support of all e students. Signed so far by more than 30 student organisations Support this manifesto and send a message of support to the Brazilian students anelonline@gmail.com and islinfo@talktalk.net
