Sponsors
Federation of Forestry Workers: "Those who shoot from behind defend no cause"
Sponsors
The National Federation of Forestry and Related Workers declares that, once again, the Araucanía region is mourning a bloody event at the hands of unknown individuals. On this occasion, a forestry worker was murdered and his colleague was seriously injured while carrying out surveillance duties in their capacity as forest guards.
As a forestry workers' union, we express our deep solidarity with the family in the face of such an irreparable loss and reiterate that those who hide in the shadows of the night to shoot defenseless workers in the back defend no cause, no matter how legitimate it may claim to be. They only sow terror and attempt to portray a distorted image of a country that does not deserve this kind of violence. We trust that the courts of justice will act and that those who murdered our colleague will be prosecuted and convicted.
Furthermore, we call on those who coordinate surveillance and patrol actions in the so-called "red zone" to provide the necessary guarantees of safe movement for all who travel through these areas. So far, the military and law enforcement forces have not provided this security. Those who have perpetrated multiple crimes in the area have demonstrated that they act with high-powered firearms and without fear of using them; however, our military, with all the backing of the rule of law, have not shown the determination or capacity to anticipate these events or to respond with the appropriate force.
We believe that the military command owes an explanation to the family of Manuel León, as well as to all the relatives of those who have lost their lives since the implementation of the current state of constitutional exception in the Araucanía Region.
Finally, we reaffirm our commitment as a union: together with hundreds of thousands of families linked to the forestry industry, we will continue to vigorously defend this sector, without being intimidated by those who seek to destroy it through cowardly actions, no matter where they come from.
Heriberto López Cárcamo
President of the Board
National Federation of Forestry Transport and Related Workers (FENASITRANFOR)
Los Ángeles, August 2025.
