The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode: A Worldwide #MeToo Protest That Began in Chile
Date: December 12, 2019
Host: David Remnick
Guest: Camila Osorio

Episode Overview

This special episode explores how a feminist protest performance that began in Chile amid widespread social unrest transformed into a global #MeToo anthem. Camila Osorio, a journalist and fact checker at The New Yorker, recounts her firsthand experience on the ground during Chile’s protests and traces the origins, significance, and worldwide spread of the “Un violador en tu camino” (“A Rapist in Your Path”) performance. The episode delves into police violence, the gendered dimension of repression, and the profound resonance of the feminist movement across Latin America and beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Backdrop to Protests in Chile

• Timeline & Scope: Protests erupted on October 18, 2019, originally about rising subway fares but quickly grew into a nationwide movement demanding a new constitution and economic reforms.
• Shift in National Identity: Chile, once considered the most stable country in Latin America, saw its streets filled with graffiti, and infrastructure damaged from confrontations between protesters and police.
• Police Brutality: At least six people killed by police, thousands injured; over 200 people were shot in the eyes by projectiles, resulting in loss of eyesight for some.

Quote:

“It was a place that was always seen as the most stable country in Latin America. And suddenly the streets were filled with graffiti. Some sidewalks were completely destroyed because people had wanted to get rocks in confrontations with the police.”
— Camila Osorio [00:31]

2. Gendered Nature of State Violence

• Sexual Violence: Over 100 allegations of sexual violence by police, including rape and forced nudity of women detainees.
• Societal Rage and Creativity: Amidst violence and repression, anger led to a creative feminist response.

Quote:

“This violence has also been gendered. There are several allegations of the police raping or forcing women to get naked in police jails and to squat down. There have been more than 100 accusations of sexual violence made against the police. But...something quite creative was born.”
— Camila Osorio [02:18]

3. Birth of a Feminist Anthem

• Origins: On November 20, 2019, a women’s collective in Valparaiso staged a performance protesting violence against women—what initially seemed like a small event ballooned into a mass movement.
• Performance Details: Women, blindfolded, performed a “feminist line dance,” chanting a powerful indictment of the patriarchy and state actors for complicity in gender violence.

Quote:

“They are blindfolded. They sing at unison. The patriarchy is a judge and is judging us from the moment we’re born. Our punishment is that violence that you’re not seeing. It’s feminicite. It’s rape. It was not my fault, nor where I was, nor how I was dressed. The rapist is you.”
— Camila Osorio [03:21]

• Expansion: Footage uploaded to Twitter quickly led to performances across Chile, and then around the world:
  • Latin America: Bogotá, Mexico City
  • Europe: Italy, Germany, France (Eiffel Tower)
  • US: Los Angeles, New York
  • Middle East: Istanbul (where police stopped the performance), Beirut
  • Adaptations: Locals adapted some lyrics to their realities, e.g., in Bogotá, “it’s not the state who takes care of me, it’s my girlfriends who take care of me.”

Quote:

“By meaning ‘you’, it meant, like, all of you who are not investigating all of this violence. It is you.”
— Camila Osorio [05:00]

4. The Epidemic of Gender Violence in Latin America

• Statistics: Of the 25 countries with the highest femicide rates, 14 are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Personal Reflection: Camila discusses the endemic fear and ever-present threat that women face on the streets, drawing a contrast between her experience in Bogotá and her current life in New York.

Quote:

“It’s just so common to be afraid in the streets of Latin America. I grew up in Bogota, which is quite a hostile city for women as well. And I’m always surprised every time I visit family, just how I have to be reminded to be more alert than here in my normal life in New York.”
— Camila Osorio [07:02]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the universal message of the protest performance:

  “It is a moment to finally express on the streets not only the violence that is lived in the intimate space, but also the...the violence that happens in the streets.”
  — Camila Osorio [06:38]

• On the global resonance:

  “It started being shared around the world, and it started being reproduced in Bogotá, Colombia, in Mexico City as well. Oh, in Italy, in Germany, in the US in LA, and in New York, there was also a performance, it was translated to French in front of the Eiffel Tower.”
  — Camila Osorio [04:27]

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• [00:24 – 02:51] — Camila Osorio describes her arrival in Chile, the atmosphere of protest, and instances of police violence.
• [02:51 – 04:20] — Focus shifts to gendered violence and the rise of the feminist performance in Valparaiso.
• [04:20 – 05:33] — The protest’s spread to cities around the world and regional adaptations to the performance.
• [06:04 – 07:14] — Discussion of statistics on gender violence and Camila’s personal insight on the climate for women in Latin America.

Conclusion

This episode offers a powerful look at the intersection of political upheaval and feminist activism, revealing how a protest in Chile sparked a worldwide movement. Through vivid storytelling and keen social analysis, Camila Osorio illustrates how collective outcry against gendered violence can traverse borders—becoming both a call to action and a symbol of shared struggle for safety and justice.