Η Fabiola Campillay, mother of three, volunteer firefighter, amateur soccer player, one of the first victims of the crackdown launched by the Chilean government against the 2019 protests, she not only won a seat in the country’s Senate as an independent candidate in the Santiago district. She was also the candidate who received the most votes nationwide and 87,52% in the capital.
Kambiyai, 37, the only independent member of Chile’s new Senate, is one of the most iconic figures of the 2019 social uprising. Until November 26, 2019, she was «unknown» to the general public, except within the neighborhood council of the «5 Pinos» in the San Bernardo community, where she actively participated in solidarity actions.
That afternoon, on her way to work at the Carozzi factory, she came across a Carabinieri unit. They sprayed tear gas in her face. She lost consciousness and woke up a week later in the hospital.. After three surgeries, they managed to prevent brain damage and partially restore her face, but she lost her sight and, shortly thereafter, her sense of smell and taste. She was the second of more than 400 civilians who, during the first quarter of the uprising, were shot in the eyes by the Carabinieri.
The Campiay case has not yet gone to trial, and it was only in July that the court ordered the pretrial detention of the suspect, former police officer Patricio Maturana. Incidentally, the far-right José Antonio Kast—who won the first round of Chile’s presidential election with 28%—did not fail to visit the suspect’s family to offer his «support.» by far-right candidate José Antonio Kast, who won with 28% in the first round of Chile’s presidential election on Sunday.
«For two years now, I have been seeking justice to no avail—for none of the survivors of the crackdown. That is what I will strive to change through my work in the Senate. I am there on behalf of the people, for the people,» he said in an emotionally charged atmosphere at Italy Square (renamed Dignity Square after the uprising) following the announcement of the results.
Reiterating that the focus of her work will be the defense of human rights and the struggle for a dignified life for our people, based on the demands of the uprising: decent pensions, the abolition of the system of pension fund management by private companies, an end to student debt, quality free education and healthcare, support for people with disabilities, and, of course, justice and redress for all victims of repression and the release of political prisoners. These are the issues it is raising in support of Gabriel Borich, the left-wing candidate who will face Cast in the second round of the presidential election on November 19.
Fabiola doesn't talk about voters, but about «my people.» She ran a modest campaign, with almost no money, with the help of dozens of volunteers, going door to door with her husband, Marco Cornejo. How did she manage to come in first nationwide against politicians who spent millions and had all-powerful political machines?;
«Because I come from a place where we really have urgent needs. Because I’ve lived my whole life under this system, because we stand in huge lines outside a public clinic starting at 6 a.m. just to be seen (if at all)… at 8 a.m., because our paychecks don’t last until the end of the month, because our children can’t go to college… Because I’ve been through everything that ordinary people go through. I am alone with my convictions and my own world. And I can bring the voice of the people to the very places where we were always denied entry. That’s why they voted for me.’.
