Temicuicui community leader denies accusations of police attack

SANTIAGO.- The leader of the Temucuicui Mapuche community, Jorge Huenchullán, has denied that members of his community fired shots at police officers who were trying to carry out a raid in the municipality of Ercilla yesterday.

"It is a lie that Mapuches attacked police with gunfire here (…).  I don't know if they attacked on their own, but not from my community, our people did not shoot", stated Huenchullán.

The community leader reiterated that Mapuches were the only ones wounded by gunshot and claimed that the police, claiming to have been shot at, are merely justifying their violence and lack of control, which also victimized children and the elderly.

With regards to the violent attack carried out against the Mapuche small business owner, Mario Naín Curamil, whose bus was shot at as he transported forestry workers, Huenchullán said that the situation was a product of internal conflicts among the workers themselves.

"He is a forest contractor and he works with Mapuches and non-Mapuches, where both groups have internal conflicts and this situation (the attack) cannot be associated with the demand for land", maintained Huenchullán.