Revolutionary Anarchist Front

The Revolutionary Anarchist Front (Spanish: Frente Anarquista Revolucionario, FAR) was an urban guerrilla group that was active in the Santiago Metropolitan Area, responsible for various sabotage, arson and explosive attacks. The group gained media attention for the attacks it carried out and was awarded.^[1]

Revolutionary Anarchist Front
Frente Anarquista Revolucionario
Flag used by the Revolutionary Anarchist Front
Dates of operation	2007 (2007)–January 14, 2009 (2009-01-14)
Country	Chile
Motives	The struggle against the State and Neoliberalism
Active regions	Santiago Metropolitan Area
Ideology	Anarcho-communism Anti-authoritarianism Anti-capitalism Anti-fascism Anarchism without adjectives Insurrectionary anarchism Libertarian Marxism
Political position	Far-left
Notable attacks	Arson and explosive attacks
Status	Inactive
Allies	Other anarchist cells
Opponents	Government of Chile Carabineros de Chile Investigations Police of Chile

Context

Since the mid-2000s there has been an outbreak of explosive attacks where they commonly attacked their targets with homemade explosives, commonly filled with gunpowder or any medium-strength explosive, causing material damage.^[2][3] About two-thirds of the bombs detonated, and the rest were deactivated. Targets include banks (about a third of the bombs), police stations, army barracks and offices, churches, embassies, the headquarters of political parties, company offices, courthouses and government buildings, as well as detonates late in the morning. night, and there are seldom injuries among passers-by, none seriously.^[4]

Attacks

In the group's first communiqué, it claimed responsibility for an explosion in a group of houses belonging to members of the Carabineros de Chile in the Lo Espejo commune, resulting in material damage according to the group, although it was not reported by the press.^[5] On August 14, 2008, the group set fire to the headquarters of the Christian Left Party, in the commune of Santiago Centro, this while the party leadership and some militants were still inside the building. The fire left significant damage to the party headquarters and neighboring buildings.^[6][7] The following day the group claimed responsibility for the attack.^[8][9]

The group continued to issue statements during the month of September and October, calling for roadblocks and clashes against the Carabineros in the Lo Espejo and San Bernardo communes, where it claimed responsibility for having injured Carabinero Esteban Cheuqueñir Rivera, this during the riots of September 11.^{[10][11][12][13]} On October 7, the group placed an explosive of 400 grams of TNT in the offices of the Sociedad de Fomento Fabril (SOFOFA). Around two thousand people who worked in the building were evacuated. The GOPE managed to defuse the bomb a few minutes before it exploded. This was the group's most publicized incident.^[14][15][16] The next day the group claimed responsibility for the explosive, and also for an alleged sabotage in the Santiago Metro, although the latter was reported as a common failure in the electrical system of the tracks.^[17][18]

Days later, on October 20, the group claimed the arson attack against the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Party, in the Recoleta commune, causing serious damage to the building, with damages that approach 20 million pesos. The attack caused outrage among the political class, especially because it was during the prelude to the 2008 Chilean municipal election.^{[19][20][21][22]} After this attack, the group claimed an alleged sabotage that neither the press nor the authorities confirmed.^[23]

On November 26, the group claimed the fire of the Teletón Theater in Santiago, which left slight material damage,^[24][25] and also claimed the burning of a building belonging to Automotora Gomá, this in the city of Temuco, leaving it completely burned to the ground, while two vehicles and several others suffered considerable damage. The intensity of the fire required three fire companies to come to the scene to put out the flames.^{[26][27][28][29]}

At the end of 2008, the group was accused by other anarchist cells of executing a false flag attack, due to the complexity of some attacks, as well as the short time between the attacks. After this, the group produced a clarifying letter justifying its actions.^[30][31] The group's last statement was released on January 14, 2009 when they were awarded a false explosive in the offices of SERVIPAG, in the Lo Espejo commune, that the authorities and the press did not report.^[32]

References

1. "Informe de inteligencia les "sacó la ficha" a 10 grupos radicales". La Segunda (in Spanish). 23 November 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
2. Abujatum, Jana (2019). "Atentados con artefactos explosivos en Santiago desde 2006 a 2019" (PDF). Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2020.
3. Saldivia, Carlos (29 November 2009). "LOS ANTECEDENTES INÉDITOS DE LAS INVESTIGACIONES POR LOS ATAQUES CON BOMBA" (PDF). Sigweb/División de Seguridad Privada (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2020.
4. "Nuevo bombazo con un muerto agrava la inquietud por posible brote terrorista". El Economista (in Spanish). 25 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
5. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (31 July 2008). "Acción contra Carabineros en la comuna de Lo Espejo". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
6. "Un incendio destruyó sede de la Izquierda Cristiana". Radio Cooperativa (in Spanish). 15 August 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
7. "Incendio destruye sede del Partido Izquierda Cristiana". El Mercurio (in Spanish). 14 August 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
8. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (16 August 2008). "FAR reivindica atentado contra la sede de la Izquierda Cristiana". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
9. "INCENDIO DESTRUYE SEDE DE LA IZQUIERDA CRISTIANA". Movimiento Generación 80 (in Spanish). 15 August 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
10. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (27 October 2008). "Primer Encuentro del Frente Anarquista Revolucionario". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
11. Cordero, Pedro (12 September 2008). "Seis carabineros y un civil heridos". Mercurio de Valparaiso (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
12. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (25 August 2008). "Ante la cercanía del próximo 11 de septiembre". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
13. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (14 September 2008). "FAR asume acciones en la comuna de San Bernardo". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
14. . El Mercurio (in Spanish). 7 October 2008. p. C11. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
15. "Desactivan bomba instalada en las oficinas de la Sofofa". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 3 October 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
16. "Piñera considera grave bomba en edificio de la Sofofa". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 4 October 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
17. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (10 October 2008). "FAR reivindica sabotaje al Metro de Santiago y explosivo en la SOFOFA". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
18. Díaz Prieto, Felipe (3 October 2008). "Realizan pericias a bomba desactivada en edificio de la Sofofa". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
19. "Lagos exhorta a Piñera y Larraín a condenar ataque a comando de candidata DC por Recoleta". ADN Radio (in Spanish). 20 October 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
20. "Incendiamos la sede de Recoleta de la candidata Francisca Zaldívar". Cedema (in Spanish). 19 October 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
21. "Candidata por Recoleta interpuso querella por incendio de la sede de su comando". Radio Cooperativa (in Spanish). 21 October 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
22. "Candidata UDI por Recoleta negó estar vinculada a incendio de sede de su rival DC". Radio Cooperativa (in Spanish). 18 October 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
23. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (6 November 2008). "Sabotaje a la línea 2 del Metro de Santiago". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
24. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (1 December 2008). "Incendiamos el Teatro Teletón y la Automotora Goma de Temuco". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
25. "Tres compañías de Bomberos llegaron al Teatro Teletón tras amago de incendio". El Mercurio (in Spanish). 26 November 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
26. Neira Tonk, Roberto (3 December 2008). "Grupo anarquista se atribuyó incendio que afectó a la Automotora Gomá". Austral Temuco (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
27. Neira Tonk, Roberto (29 January 2009). "Gerente de Automotora Gomá pide a fiscal precisar si incendio fue atentado o accidente". Austral Temuco (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
28. Palomera, Freddy (2 December 2008). "Grupo revolucionario se adjudicó atentados a Teletón y automotora". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
29. Bustos, Sergio (29 November 2008). "Alarma provocó incendio en automotora de Temuco". El Mercurio (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
30. "Carta revela pugna entre bandas anarquistas". El Mercurio (in Spanish). 16 December 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
31. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (20 December 2008). "Aclaración del Frente Anarquista Revolucionario". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
32. Revolutionary Anarchist Front (24 January 2009). "Bomba falsa en sucursal del Servipag". Cedema (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2021.