Summary
The incredible story of the Scots who managed to ground half of Chile's Air Force, from the other side of the world, in the longest single act of solidarity against Pinochet's brutal dictatorship.
The incredible story of the Scots who managed to ground half of Chile's Air Force, from the other side of the world, in the longest single act of solidarity against Pinochet's brutal dictatorship.
Mention 11 September to Chileans and they will think back to 1973 rather than that infamous date in 2001, as this was the day that General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the country's democratically elected president, Salvador Allende. In order to reinforce his grip on power, Pinochet ordered the aerial bombardment of strategic targets across Santiago. The planes used had been built by Hawker Hunter. So, when their engines were sent to the Rolls Royce plant in East Kilbride for servicing, the 3000-strong workforce refused to touch them as a gesture of solidarity with their Chilean comrades. As the son of an exiled journalist, director Felipe Bustos Sierra has a personal stake in the actions of these Scottish workers and his admiration for John Keenan, Bob Fulton, Stuart Barrie and Robert Somerville is unstinting. He also interviews several opponents of the Pinochet regime and their reaction to the archive footage is humbling in the extreme. The documentary itself is rather prosaic, but its story is inspirational.
role | name |
---|---|
Bob Fulton | Bob Fulton |
John Keenan | John Keenan (2) |
Robert Somerville | Robert Somerville |
role | name |
---|---|
Director | Felipe Bustos Sierra |