Chile: Another church is burnt down in the Mapuche conflict

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Latin America | 04 February 2019

According to a report by Bio Bio Chile on 15 November 2018, a fire destroyed the Santa Ana church in the Araucania region. Mapuche militants are assumed to be responsible for the arson since a whole series of incidents occurred throughout the region more or less simultaneously, as reported by El Comercio on 20 November 2018. These attacks are seen as being retaliation for the death of a young Mapuche in police custody. Rossana Ramirez, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "Mapuches often regard churches and state authorities as allies in the repression of their communities. As a consequence, churches have been targeted for attack in areas like Araucania and Bio Bio. Due to attacks on police personnel (Las Noticias, 15 November 2018), the authorities seem unable or unwilling to introduce measures for ensuring adequate protection for churches. As a result, Christians in the region are in a particularly vulnerable situation."