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Yesterday an article by the independent Venezuela-based media outlet Venezuelanalysis reported on the extent of the destruction:

On Monday, Venezuelan officials reported that there have been 1,719 people killed, 5,034 injured, and more than 15 thousand displaced. According to the country’s authorities, 855 buildings have been damaged, including 189 totally collapsed, along with damage to 38 hospitals and 1,645 road structures.

The earthquake flattened more than 100 buildings in La Guaira, Venezuela. Photo credit: Agencia Zero

While my relatives and friends in Venezuela are safe, my thoughts are with the families of those who have died, are missing or are injured. The devastation left by the earthquakes is immense. In the midst of this suffering, the UK-based Venezuela Solidarity Campaign has launched a petition demanding that the UK return billions worth of Venezuelan gold it has stolen.

The petition begins with the following:

We condemn the decision of the Bank of England to continue to refuse to return to Venezuela billions of dollars of its gold deposited there, which has a value of at least £3.5bn (or US $4.74 bn).

In early January, a few days after the US government bombed Venezuela and kidnapped its president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, I gave a short speech in Sheffield denouncing this outrageous attack. I said the following about the the Venezuelan gold the UK has stolen:

I think we have to be very clear that Trump is just the most naked expression of this savage US imperialism and his brutal bombing of Caracas this past weekend and the US’ kidnapping of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores should be condemned by any decent human being.

The UK, as is so often the case, is an accomplice to the US’ criminality. For many years now the UK government has stolen around two billion dollars worth of Venezuelan gold as part of the US’ plan to strangle Venezuela’s economy and topple the government. This weekend Keir Starmer said he shed no tears for Maduro’s kidnapping. No doubt in the same way that he has shed no tears for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the over 170,000 murdered Palestinians his government is complicit in. So shame on Keir Starmer, shame on the British government and shame on Trump and Washington’s gangsterism.

I also brought up the issue in a speech I gave in London at the end of January. I said the following:

If it wasn’t for the work of someone like Declassified’s John McEvoy, we probably wouldn’t know, with any level of detail, that the UK has been an active ally in the US’ long-standing efforts to overthrow firstly Chávez and now Maduro. Because of the media’s cancelling of these inconvenient truths, it is no surprise that few people know that Britain has stolen billions of dollars’ worth of gold belonging to Venezuela. This theft was done by the Bank of England, where the gold was stored, under then Governor Mark Carney, now the prime minister of Canada.

The mainstream media simply won’t tell us what is done in our name, to, and in countries like Venezuela.

Click here to sign the petition demanding the UK return Venezuela’s gold.

Click here to donate to the earthquake relief efforts.

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On 15 August as part of the El Sueño Existe (The Dream Lives On) Festival in Machynlleth, Wales, I will discuss the UK government’s anti-democratic machinations in Venezuela with investigative journalist John McEvoy, chief reporter for independent British media organisation Declassified UK (DCUK). John and I are the co-directors of Britain and the Other 9/11, which will be released in the next few months. More info about the film here.

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I spoke on a panel entitled: How do we challenge the drive to war?

Here is a transcript of my speech:

Firstly I’d like to say that it’s a real honour to be speaking at this event today. Declassified’s work is really incredible. So how do we challenge the drive to war? Before I offer some thoughts I think it’s important to firstly define how I understand the term “drive to war”.

I’d argue that what we are seeing today under the presidency of Donald Trump is a savage US imperialism in its most naked expression. And by US imperialism I mean the US government, the US political class more broadly, the country’s corporate-media nexus. What we can call a military-industrial-media complex.

I’d also highlight the role of Israel, which shares with the US a deeply complicit, enabling partnership. And then there are key lieutenants like the UK, a former imperial hegemon that now systematically aids and abets Washington’s criminality and gangsterism.

The fact that I was born here in the UK is a direct result of US imperialism. I am the son of Chileans who were imprisoned in the concentration camps of the US and UK government backed fascist dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, which overthrew the democratically-elected government of Salvador Allende on September 11th, 1973. “It’s that son of a bitch Allende. We’re going to smash him.” Those were the words of US president Richard Nixon in 1970, the year that Allende took office.

My parents arrived in the UK after the coup in Chile as political refugees. And more than 52 years after Chile’s 9/11, on the 3rd of January of this year the US government bombed Venezuela and kidnapped its president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Both are now hostages, imprisoned in the US.

Venezuela is a country close to my heart. After the coup, my mother’s sister left Chile for Venezuela and has lived there ever since. So I have family there and have visited the country regularly since I was a child. I lived in Venezuela between 2005 to 2007 under the presidency of the late Hugo Chávez. It was truly inspiring to see a society where so many people who had been marginalised and exploited for so long felt they finally had a government that was giving them back their dignity.

I met people such as Mariela Machado an afro-Venezuelan community activist from La Vega, a low-income neighbourhood in Caracas, the country’s capital. Like many others, she was experiencing very real improvements in her conditions of existence but perhaps most importantly, felt valued for the first time. Now I’ve made four documentaries about the political situation in Venezuela, and while living there I had the great privilege of working with the late John Pilger on his 2007 film The War on Democracy which looks at US anti-democratic machinations in Venezuela under Chávez and the bloody history of US imperialism across Latin America, including Chile. Mariela appears in that film, in John’s film and has appeared in my films too.

So what has this personal history and experience in Venezuela taught me about how we here in the UK can challenge, for example, the US’ drive to butcher the hard fought gains so many Venezuelans achieved after Chávez came to power in 1999.

For me there is one issue that for me is central. It is the necessity of building a new media ecosystem that is not subjugated to the interests of US imperialism and its allies. I have no doubt that this is no easy task but the devastating power of the mainstream media’s daily lies, omissions and distortions on the general population requires that we make this an absolute priority.

If it wasn’t for the work of someone like Declassified’s John McEvoy, we probably wouldn’t know, with any level of detail, that the UK has been an active ally in the US’ long-standing efforts to overthrow firstly Chávez and now Maduro. Because of the media’s cancelling of these inconvenient truths, it is no surprise that few people know that Britain has stolen billions of dollars’ worth of gold belonging to Venezuela. This theft was done by the Bank of England, where the gold was stored, under then Governor Mark Carney, now the prime minister of Canada.

The mainstream media simply won’t tell us what is done in our name, to, and in countries like Venezuela. And it’s crucial that we disabuse ourselves of the idea that influential, so-called progressive media outlets like The Guardian, which I know Mark [Curtis] mentioned earlier, practice journalism in good faith; in fact, in the case of Venezuela, I’d argue they have been spearheading the bad faith reporting.

And I say this from experience. Even with my family background, when I went to live in Venezuela in 2005, I thought that The Guardian was a credible, serious, progressive media outlet. It took me meeting their first Latin American correspondent in 20 years (who told me that he neither spoke Spanish nor knew anything about the region), and seeing the disconnect between what I was seeing on the ground and the dishonest reporting of the Guardian and other media, to begin to understand that the mainstream media is almost entirely unfit for purpose. What I experienced in 2005 we have seen time and time again with the quote/unquote progressive media like The Guardian, most starkly in recent times with how they covered Julian Assange’s brutal persecution and Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party.

That is why the work of Declassified UK is so incredibly important. In a short space of time, they have achieved so much. However, the challenge must be to continue building outlets such as Declassified until their reach and influence becomes truly significant. The independent Venezuela-based English-language media outlet Venezuelanalysis, which has been going for over 20 years, is an essential port-of-call for news and analysis on Venezuela.

I have the (perhaps naive) belief that an informed population is what political elites in the UK fear the most. And a population armed with knowledge is a crucial step towards creating the political alternatives that, if successful, could transform the reactionary role that Britain plays in the world today.

Now on Thursday the US announced a barbaric escalation in its historic attempts to break the Cuban people and force regime change on the island. Like Venezuela, Cuba deserves all our solidarity, for after all, expressing active solidarity in whatever form one can, is an essential precondition for challenging Washington’s attacks on sovereignty in Latin America and beyond. And let’s not forget that Cuba’s solidarity to others since 1959 has been truly heroic.

I’m going to end with a small extract of a Whatsapp message that Mariela Machado, this Venezuelan community organiser sent to me two days ago. I got in touch with her to say that I was coming here to speak and asked her if she had a message for you guys. She wrote a longer message but part of it says this:

“The US government have tried to ruin our motherland with their blockade. We have withstood the effects of those blockades, which have bred individualism and many unpatriotic people who have wanted to sell the country out. Even so, the majority of us Venezuelans will defend not only our territory, our small homeland, our little corner of the world, but we will also be a model of resistance against a genocidal empire that has bought off all the international organisations that remain silent against this monster that pretends to be the world’s policeman with its social inequalities and its savage capitalism. Blessings, brother. Whenever you want, the doors of Venezuela and the La Vega community will be open to anyone who wants to share the truth about what we Venezuelans are experiencing.”

So my solidarity goes to the people like Mariela, and it’s unconditional. The challenge we have in Britain is to stop our government aiding Washington’s destruction of Venezuelans like Mariela’s right to live in peace. Thank you.

My speech at the ‘Challenging the War Machine’ Summit organised by independent British media organisation Declassified UK (DCUK). Photo credit: Ammar Kazmi

If you would like to donate to relief efforts in Venezuela following the devastating earthquake there, click here.

Click here to sign the petition ‘Keir Starmer, Give Venezuela Back Its Gold!’

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Palestine Action-linked remand prisoner Umer Khalid

Following his detention and the British government's subsequent proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, Khalid became a prominent figure in prison protests.

In March I travelled to Stockport to work on a video interview with Khalid’s mother Shabana Khalid for the UK based independent media outlet Palestine Deep Dive. In her interview with journalist Matt Kennard she reflected on Umer's childhood, his unwavering sense of justice, and the values that shaped him into the person he is today. She also recounts the challenges her family has faced during Umer's imprisonment, including concerns about his health, restrictions on communication, and the pain that comes with prolonged separation.

Shabana Khalid, mother of Umer Khalid. March 2026

Watch the video report of the interview here:

Producers: Pablo Navarrete (Alborada Films) & Dhruv Haria (Palestine Deep Dive)
Journalist: Matt Kennard (Palestine Deep Dive)
Cameraman: Sean Lovell
Editor: Dhruv Haria

Shabana Khalid, mother of Umer Khalid. March 2026. Credit: Pablo Navarrete

In May 2026 a sixth person was charged in relation to the Brize Norton action. You can learn more about the ‘Free the Brize Norton Six’ campaign here.

Matt Kennard features in The Gaza Tribunal: A Question of Complicity, a recent 25 minute documentary I co-directed for Al Jazeera English’s People & Power strand.

The briefly mentions the action at Brize Norton and the fact that in July 2025 Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organisation by Keir Starmer’s Labour government

Since then more than 3,300 people have been arrested for supporting Palestine Action.

You can watch a teaser for the documentary here:

Click here to watch the film.

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As DCUK’s chief reporter John McEvoy writes in an article on their website launching the campaign:

Earlier this year, Declassified revealed that over 2,000 Britons served for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) since October 2023.

This information would never have come to light using sources in Britain.

The UK government does not collect data on British nationals serving in the IDF, and soldiers returning from Israel have not been questioned about their activities in the region.

Instead, the information came from a Freedom of Information request issued to the IDF by a lawyer in Israel.

The UK government’s failure to collect data on the movements of potential war criminals or properly investigate their activities raises serious concerns.

Individuals who have returned from committing war crimes in Gaza may now be living alongside us and working in public institutions such as hospitals, the police, and schools.

Nobody wants to live next to a war criminal – not least members of the Palestinian community in the UK who have family or friends who have been subjected to war crimes.

Two hours after the campaign was launched over 2,000 people had signed the campaign’s petition. Over 6,000 have currently signed the petition.

John McEvoy was one of those I interviewed for The Gaza Tribunal: A Question of Complicity, my 25-minute Alborada Films documentary for Al Jazeera English’s People & Power strand - more info here.

Watch the film below and here.

You can also watch DCUK’s excellent documentary Britain’s Gaza Spy Flights Scandal, which also investigates the UK government’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Click here to sign the campaign petition.

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The United Kingdom’s relationship with its ally is under scrutiny. Jeremy Corbyn, a British MP, set up The Gaza Tribunal to examine whether the UK’s support for Israel amounts to complicity. Doctors and aid workers gave emotional accounts of the horrors they saw while working in the Gaza Strip, and journalists presented evidence of weapons shipments and spy flights allegedly operating from a nearby British air force base. All were making the case that the UK’s unwavering support for Israel is no longer legally or morally justifiable.

In its final report, published on 16 March, the Gaza Tribunal said the UK has failed in its duty to prevent genocide and has been complicit in atrocities. It also recommended that the UK end all military cooperation with Israel.

The UK government has yet to comment on the allegations.

Click here or below to watch The Gaza Tribunal: A Question of Complicity, my new Alborada Films documentary for Al Jazeera English’s People & Power strand.

Credits:

Directors: Pablo Navarrete (Alborada Films) & Amy Anderson (Al Jazeera English)

Producers: Pablo Navarrete (Alborada Films) & Amy Anderson (Al Jazeera English)

Executive Producer: Alexandra Pauliat (Al Jazeera English)

DOPs: Ben Holt & Harry Winteringham

Offline Editors: Simón Díaz Cuffin & Pablo Navarrete

Online Editor: Simón Díaz Cuffin

Music: Cato Hoeben

Sound Mix: Cato Hoeben & Al Jazeera English

Colourist: Evo Boeck

Interviewees (in order of appearance):

- John McEvoy, Chief Reporter, Declassified UK

- Matt Kennard, Investigative Journalist

- Geoffrey Nice, Barrister

- Evie Snedker, Global Sumud Flotilla Participant

- Kieran Andrieu, Political Economist & Novara Media Contributor

Other Film Participants (in order of appearance):

- Dr Shahd Hammouri, Palestinian Lawyer

- Jeremy Corbyn, UK Member of Parliament

- Professor Nick Maynard, Surgeon

- Abubaker Abed, Palestinian Journalist

- Dr Victoria Rose, Surgeon

- Forz Khan, Barrister

- Mark Smith, Former UK Government Civil Servant

- Professor Neve Gordon, Israeli Historian

Alborada Films Thanks: Rodrigo Vázquez-Salessi & Teilo Vellacott

Read the final ‘The Gaza Tribunal’ report, here.

Click here to watch the film.

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I gave a short speech at the rally which you can listen to above - see below for a transcript. The rally was organised by Sheffield Cuba Solidarity Campaign and Chile Solidarity Network, and was supported by other groups such as Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Below, some photos I took and one that was taken of me as I finished the speech.

For the latest updates on events and more context on the US’ current attempts to overthrow the government in Venezuela, visit independent Venezuela-based media outlet Venezuelanalysis. You can also follow them on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.

TRANSCRIPT:

My name is Pablo Navarrete I am here as the son of Chilean political refugees who were forced to flee the fascist US backed dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet that overthrew the democratic government of Salvador Allende on September 11th, 1973. More than 52 years later we are here protesting yet another US attack on Latin America, this time on Venezuela, a country very close to my heart.

In the same way that my parents were forced to leave Chile, my mother’s sister left Chile in 1975 and was exiled to Venezuela where she has lived ever since. I have my aunt there, I have cousins and I have nieces there, and have visited the country regularly since I was very young. I also lived there for two years in 2005 under the Chávez presidency and it was inspiring to see a society where the government was returning dignity back to the society the had been marginalised and exploited for so long. As a documentary filmmaker I have made four films about the political situation there and I had the great privilege of working with the late, great John Pilger on his film The War on Democracy which looked at the US’ intervention in Venezuela under Chávez and the bloody history of US imperialism across Latin America, including Chile.

So today in 2026 this US war on Latin America, on countries that want to free themselves from US domination has become truly sinister. I think we have to be very clear that Trump is just the most naked expression of this savage US imperialism and his brutal bombing of Caracas this past weekend and the US’ kidnapping of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores should be condemned by any decent human being.

The UK, as is so often the case, is an accomplice to the US’ criminality. For many years now the UK government has stolen around two billion dollars worth of Venezuelan gold as part of the US’ plan to strangle Venezuela’s economy and topple the government. This weekend Keir Starmer said he shed no tears for Maduro’s kidnapping. No doubt in the same way that he has shed no tears for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the over 170,000 murdered Palestinians his government is complicit in. So shame on Keir Starmer, shame on the British government and shame on Trump and Washington’s gangsterism.

Just like they did with Chile under Allende, the US now wants to end with a government that refuses to bend to its will. My family and friends in Venezuela say they are ready to fight. And they deserve all our solidarity.

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Social media footage showed columns of smoke over key military installations in Caracas and surrounding areas.

The Venezuelan government have responded to Trump’s latest act of war. Read their statement here or below (in Spanish). You can read an English translation here.

In my last Substack post ‘Washington’s War on Venezuela’ five days ago I wrote:

As part of this regime-change agenda, as of 22 December 2025 the Trump government has killed 105 people in the Caribbean, alleging them to be “drug traffickers”. These are acts of muderous gangsterism plain and simple. I recently signed this “No to Trump’s War on Venezuela” statement. It is important that people protest the US’ warfare on Venezuela and its people.

For the latest updates on events and more context on the US’ current attempts to overthrow the government in Venezuela, visit independent Venezuela-based media outlet Venezuelanalysis. You can follow them on X (Twitter) and Instagram too.

As of 9am GMT, this is the latest X post from Venezuelanalysis.

**Update: 9.32am GMT: According to US President Donald Trump on social media, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been kidnapped by the US military.

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In February 2019, shortly after US-backed politician Juan Guaidó, farcically declared himself president of Venezuela, I travelled to the country to make two short films for redfish: Venezuela: Defending the Revolution and The Other Venezuela. You can watch the first one below and here. You can also watch it on Instagram, Facebook and X (Twitter). Click here to watch the second one.

More than 6 years after I made these films and with Trump back in the White House, Washington’s longstanding desire for regime-change in Venezuela seems closer than ever to becoming a reality. However, as Michelle Ellner writes:

The loudest question in Washington right now is whether Donald Trump is going to invade Venezuela. The quieter, and far more dangerous, reality is this: he probably won’t. Not because he cares about Venezuelan lives, but because he has found a strategy that is cheaper, less politically risky at home, and infinitely more devastating: economic warfare.

As part of this regime-change agenda, as of 22 December 2025 the Trump government has killed 105 people in the Caribbean, alleging them to be “drug traffickers”. These are acts of muderous gangsterism plain and simple. I recently signed this "No to Trump’s War on Venezuela" statement. It is important that people protest the US’ warfare on Venezuela and its people.

So it was good to see that on Saturday 20 December in London, people came out to denounce Washington’s warmongering. Below a video of the protest produced by independent journalist Crispin Flintoff and Carlos Soto.

My father, who has travelled to Venezuela countless times since the 1970s, is interviewed briefly at 12’17.

On 23 December at UN Security Council, Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN, Dr Samuel Moncada, denounced in detail the US’ aggression - watch below.

For more information and context on the US’ current attempts to overthrow the government in Venezuela, visit independent Venezuela-based media outlet Venezuelanalysis.

When Chávez died in March 2013 , I wrote this article about his political legacy and included some observations about my experience of living in Venezuela between 2005 and 2007. Click here to read.

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José Antonio Kast (left) and Jeannette Jara (right).

These results will usher in dark times for Chile with Kast successfully weaponising issues such as crime and immigration, aided and abetted by Chile’s mainstream media which is controlled by the country’s Right. While the forces against progressive change in Chile are not to be underestimated, Kast’s landslide victory should also be read as a damning plebiscite on Boric and his government’s record in office. Kast, a pro-Israel son of Nazis who left Germany for Chile, will now join existing far-right presidents in South America such as Argentina’s Javier Milei, forming a reactionary regional bloc.

Boric failed to fulfil the widespread desire for change that was evidenced by the mass uprising that took place in Chile in October 2019. His government was unwilling and unable to implement significant reforms, let alone any structural ones, that could benefit those excluded and exploited by the neoliberal economic system put in place following the 1973 military coup against Salvador Allende. This system has remained largely untouched since the formal return of democracy in 1990.

I was in Chile in March 2022 filming for two documentaries when Boric took office and there was hope on the streets that a better Chile was possible. Progressives in Chile and those on the Left will have to have hard conversations about the reasons for the defeat and work out how to offer a proposal for the future of Chile that is able to cut through with the electorate. Worryingly, the first-round of the presidential vote in November saw far-right candidates receive over 50% of the vote and support for the US-supported fascist Pinochet dictatorship has increased in recent years. A depressing state of affairs for Chilean politics but Kast’s programme will be resisted on the ground and solidarity from people around the world will be crucial.

To watch Mother, Country online click here.

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Reconnecting with his biological family, Daniel uncovers the truth of what happened to him. He learns he was born in a detention centre and covertly adopted while his mother remains one of the thousands of disappeared people. Through his search for the truth, he discovers a widespread programme of illegal adoption and crimes committed during the military dictatorship which ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983.

Identity (Identidad) is a documentary film by Daniel’s sister Florencia Santucho and Rodrigo Vázquez-Salessi. This film is Santucho’s directorial debut, while Vázquez-Salessi is an award-winning filmmaker and war correspondent who honed his craft in Argentina before moving to the UK in 1995 to study at the National Film & TV School.

Florencia Santucho (left) and Rodrigo Vázquez-Salessi (right).

Here is the film’s directors’ statement:

Identity (Identidad) is a deeply personal and urgent exploration of Argentina’s dark past - a past that continues to shape the lives of those searching for the truth. At its core, this film is about memory, justice, and the resilience of identity.

Daniel Santucho Navajas’ journey is not just his own. It represents the struggle of hundreds of children stolen during the military dictatorship, raised under false names, cut off from their roots, and denied their true heritage. His search - and the moment he finally uncovers his origins - is a powerful testament to the strength of human connection and the relentless pursuit of justice led by organisations like the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo.

For nearly five decades, Argentina has been confronting the wounds of its past, yet so many stories remain untold. Identity is not just a film about one man’s revelation; it is a call to action for those still living in the shadows of history, a reflection on state-sponsored crimes that must never be forgotten, and a reminder that identity is a fundamental right.

Through this documentary, we hope to honour the disappeared, amplify the voices of those still searching, and ensure that the past is not erased but reckoned with—so that Argentina, and the world, never allows history to repeat itself.

I’m delighted that Alborada Films will host the UK premiere of Identity at the beautiful Garden Cinema in central London next Thursday 9 October at 8pm. The film recently received an honourable mention at the 34th Biarritz Amérique Latine Film Festival 2025.

Al Jazeera English released Argentina’s Stolen Babies, a 25 minute film in July 2024 - watch it here. This film, also directed by Santucho and Vázquez-Salessi, has been long listed for the 2025 Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs. Identity is the feature length version. Rodrigo Vázquez-Salessi is also the co-producer of my documentary Mother, Country and his films focusing on human rights and social justice in Latin America and beyond are exceptional.

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From today until 18 September you can watch my Alborada Films documentary Mother, Country online. Click here for more information/tickets.

Original poster artwork: James Ernesto Lang

The film was have its Australian premiere today with the event raising money for children in Palestine. Mother, Country will also screen for the first time in Venezuela and Belgium later this month.

I've written a short article about the film which you can read here. Watch a teaser for the film here. Click here to read a five-star review of the documentary on the film website DMovies.

Click here for information on upcoming screenings of Mother, Country.

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Himno is a musical journey that explores how the Chilean song ‘El pueblo unido jamás será vencido’ ('The People United Will Never Be Defeated'), written in 1973 during the government of socialist president Salvador Allende, has become an anthem for people’s struggles around the world.

Directed by Martín Farías, the film is based on in-depth research and testimonies by musicians from Chile, Portugal, France, Germany, Finland and Japan, and delves into the different uses and meanings ‘The People United’ has found worldwide. The film combines rare archival materials, testimonies, music, sound recordings and experimental excerpts, showcasing the power of music in accompanying human rights and social justice campaigns in Chile and far beyond.

Martín Farías, director of ‘Himno’

Martín Farías is a Chilean musicologist and documentary filmmaker with a master’s degree in creative documentary from the Universidad Autónoma in Barcelona. He has co-directed the documentaries Más cerca de la luz (2014), Canción norteña (2017), Our Voices Resound (2018) and Dolores (2020). Himno (2023) is his fifth film.

Ahead of its UK premiere at the Lescar on Thursday 6 March, documentary filmmaker Pablo Navarrete – whose film Mother, Country is also screening at the Lescar later in the month – spoke with Martín via email about the film, where it came from and how it's been received.

I’d like to begin by asking you why you made this film.

The idea for this film began to take shape in 2015 while [co-producer] Eileen Karmy and I were living in Scotland. There we noticed that the song had gained popularity far beyond Latin America, resonating with audiences across different countries. We wanted to explore how it had achieved such widespread recognition and why it remains relevant half a century later. The song’s 50th anniversary in 2023 felt like the perfect moment to tell its story through a documentary.

At the same time, we aimed to contribute to the reflection about music and politics, exploring how people engage in social movements through songs. It is common to say that certain songs serve as ‘the soundtrack’ of protests, but in the case of ‘El pueblo unido,’ it is more than just an accompaniment – people actively engage in politics through music.

Himno is your fifth film. Could you tell me how it fits in within the others you have made so far? Is there a common theme you are interested in exploring?

My primary background is in musicology, and from there I developed an interest in documentary filmmaking. So music has played a significant role in the documentaries I’ve made. At the same time, I am deeply interested in politics, history and activism, which naturally intertwine with my work.

The themes of my documentaries have also been shaped by the places I have lived. In Edinburgh, we made a documentary about a political community choir that caught our attention because they sing four-part harmony in demonstrations. Later, in Barcelona, where I pursued a master's degree in documentary filmmaking, I worked on a short film about the anarcho-feminist Dolores Iturbe, a topic that is part of the profound radical history of the city.

Our documentaries carry an academic imprint, grounded in in-depth research that serves as the foundation for presenting stories through an audio-visual lens. But this does not mean they are overly serious or purely expository. There is always room for being creative and playful.

A choir sings 'The People United' in a still taken from ‘Himno’.

Lastly, what has been the reaction to Himno, especially in Chile?

Audiences have reacted with intense emotions of nostalgia and hope. One of the aspects that sparked the most interest was the numerous versions of the song produced abroad. For many, it was a genuine surprise to learn that the song is so well-known and appreciated beyond Chile.

However, we also witnessed expressions of pain and frustration. Many wounds remain open. This is why, in spaces for dialogue such as Q&As, testimonies emerge filled with sorrow and indignation, highlighting the injustices committed during the dictatorship and later, during the 2019 uprising in Chile.

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Himno screens @ Arad Goch, Bath St, Aberystwyth SY23 2NN, Wales on Thursday 1 May 2025, 7pm to 9pm. Supported by Alborada Films.

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Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) and former UK Home Secretary Jack Straw (right).

DeClassified UK journalist John McEvoy, who is co-directing the documentary Britain and the Other 9/11 with me, interviewed UK Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn for our film, which investigates the hidden role of Britain in the destruction of Chile's democracy and support for Pinochet.

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In the below clip Corbyn refutes Straw’s version of events and calls the Blair government’s decision to return Pinochet to Chile “disgraceful”. See below for a transcript of the clip.

A slightly shorter version of this video has been shared on the Alborada Films Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) accounts.

To help us get us complete Britain and the Other 9/11 (Alborada Films) we have launched a crowdfunding campaign. Any support in helping us tell this story is greatly appreciated.

TRANSCRIPT:

Jeremy Corbyn:

The big news was in 1998 when the application for his extradition from Britain to Spain was granted by a Spanish court and conveyed to Britain as an urgent extradition order. And it landed at the Home Office and the Home Office acted very quickly. And the police then arrested Pinochet whilst he was in hospital and he was then subsequently put under house arrest, which he was for… 500 days I think in the end.

Chant:

Extradition! There’s only one decision!

Jeremy Corbyn:

I was very involved in the campaign to ensure that he was extradited to Spain, where he’d face trial. There was a lot of pressure to return him to Chile, where he would not face trial. And I remember speaking to both Jack Straw and Tony Blair at the time to say I was very pleased that Pinochet had been arrested. And they sort of looked to me and seemed slightly surprised that I would say this, and I said, “Well, it's good that we're upholding the extradition request of Spain for him”. And he was then fighting it in the British courts, and we fought it through the British courts.

Jeremy Corbyn (Archive):

What we're doing is asking tomorrow that justice be done in respect of the people of Chile. But obviously, the implications of that go far wider. Immediately behind me is a cross and a photograph, in memory of Salvador Allende, who died defending democracy and the constitution. And the right of the poor, the right of the dispossessed to have their share of wealth and their share of power.

Jeremy Corbyn:

All the time there was pressure to allow Pinochet to go back. It was later revealed by the Belgians who took out a separate case that a memorandum had been sent to Jack Straw as home secretary, which was, I’ll paraphrase it, it was something like, “You must be aware that the General Pinochet is an elderly gentleman and we're concerned about his health and if it was to emerge that he was physically unfit, would the Home Secretary be minded to allow him to return to Chile?” Like an invitation.

This concoction about his health was then developed and we were told that he was a man who was losing his memory, age was taking over, and he would not be fit to face trial.

I received a copy of his medical report from Norfolk Park Hospital, which said the opposite. His health conditions were normal for a person of his age and there was no loss of cognitive functions.

I confronted Jack Straw with this on the day that he was due to announce that he was going back, and Straw said to me, “How did you get that information? And surely, you're somebody that believes in human rights, you wouldn't want put somebody on trial who wasn't fit to face trial”. I said, “But this man is fit to face trial. What you're doing is conniving with the right in Chile to take him away, to get him back to Chile”.

Straw then made that decision, which in my view was utterly disgraceful. And he was then put on a Chilean Air Force plane that just happened to be waiting for him at Stansted, taken to Chile. He went on the plane in a wheelchair and with doctors in attendance and all the rest of it, and then walked off the plane in Santiago with full military uniform and soldiers waiting to greet him.

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You can read more information about the upcoming screenings and documentary here.

Latino Times airs every Monday on Sheffield radio station Sheffield Live! You can listen to the 2 hour show here. My interview ran from 26’53 to 49’39 in the second hour and has been clipped so you can listen to it here and on podcast platforms (see links on the right hand side).

Mauricio Sirvent, presenter of the Latino Times radio show on Sheffield Live! Credit: Pablo Navarrete

‘Himno’ UK Premiere and Live Q&A @ The Lescar (Sheffield, England), Thursday 6 March, 2025

‘Mother, Country’ Screening and Live Q&A @ The Lescar (Sheffield, England), Friday 21 March, 2025

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I also spoke at the University of Newcastle earlier in the day, alongside Francisco Carrasco, at a workshop on memory, culture and exile organised by Vic Riveros Schober.

You can listen to the full Q&A above. You can see some photos taken of the event below.

Filmed over more than three years, this is how I've described Mother, Country:

"Pablo Navarrete's parents were forced to leave Chile after a military coup on 11 September 1973. They arrived in the UK as political refugees after spending time in the Pinochet dictatorship’s torture centres. They didn’t know it then, but Britain would be where they would settle, have a family, and still live, nearly 50 years later. Filmed over more than three years, Mother, Country is a deeply personal film that follows the director as he travels to Chile with his parents in 2020 to witness a people’s uprising and finally confront their past.”

I've written a short article about the film which you can read here. Watch a teaser for the film here. Click here to read a five-star review of the documentary on the film website DMovies.

Click here for information on upcoming screenings of Mother, Country

Credit: Martin Bennett

Credit: Pablo Navarrete

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The film has been released by Al Jazeera English’s documentary series ‘Witness’.

Film synopsis:

The doubts Daniel Santucho Navajas had about his identity were finally exposed when the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, who store the genetic information of victims of the military dictatorship in Argentina, found a DNA match for him in July 2023.

Reconnecting with his biological family, Daniel uncovers the truth of what happened to him. He learns he was born in a detention centre and covertly adopted. His mother remains one of the thousands of disappeared. Through his search for the truth, he discovers a widespread programme of illegal adoption and crimes committed during the military dictatorship from 1976-1983.

Watch it below.

You can watch/listen to an interview with Rodrigo about his documentary Plan Condor: Axis of Evil and his work on Latin America below.

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We deeply regret to announce that Mandla Mandela has been prevented from traveling to the UK. He will be addressing, therefore, tonight’s meeting at Sadacca via Zoom.

British officials had initially told him that his South African government passport did not require a visa to enter the UK. However, on Monday, Mandla was informed that he did require a visa. So far, despite high level approaches from senior ANC figures, the British embassy has not relented or issued a visa. As a result, he was unable to catch his plane yesterday. By contrast, the Irish authorities have waived the visa requirement for him.

This is not the first occasion that pro-Palestinian speakers from abroad have been obstructed from addressing audiences in this country. We will make every effort to have Mandla come to Sheffield in the near future but tonight’s meeting with him will go ahead. We will not allow expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people to be silenced.

We very much hope that you will still come to hear what Mandla has to say.

While Keir Starmer has been clear that under his Labour government the UK will continue being a key enabler of Israel's genocide in Gaza, the determination of anti-genocide activist in the UK and elsewhere will ensure he will never succeed in silencing those speaking out.

Click here for more information about this evening’s meeting in Sheffield.

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You can listen to the full Q&A above. A short video below with Matt’s initial reaction to the film and first question.

Watch the video on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. You can see some photos taken of the event below.

Filmed over more than three years, this is how I've described Mother, Country:

"Pablo Navarrete's parents were forced to leave Chile after a military coup on 11 September 1973. They arrived in the UK as political refugees after spending time in the Pinochet dictatorship’s torture centres. They didn’t know it then, but Britain would be where they would settle, have a family, and still live, nearly 50 years later. Filmed over more than three years, Mother, Country is a deeply personal film that follows the director as he travels to Chile with his parents in 2020 to witness a people’s uprising and finally confront their past.”

I've written a short article about the film which you can read here. Watch a teaser for the film here. Click here to read a five-star review of the documentary on the film website DMovies.

There are four upcoming UK screenings of Mother, Country (all followed by live Q&As). Click here for information.

Credit: Pablo Navarrete

Credit: Callum Simpson

Credit: Callum Simpson

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That morning on 11 September 1973, British-made Hawker Hunter jets bombed La Moneda, Chile’s presidential palace, while tanks patrolled the surrounding streets of Santiago. The 17-year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet is estimated to have murdered, tortured, or arbitrarily imprisoned up to 40,000 people. Like hundreds of thousands of others, my parents were forced to leave Chile after the coup and arrived in the UK as political refugees.

Yesterday an interview I did with former Labour Party MP Chris Williamson for his new online show 'Britain Unravelled' was released. The focus of the interview is the support the British government gave to the Pinochet dictatorship. In the interview I speak about Britain and the Other 9/11, the documentary about the UK and Chile I am working on with investigate journalist John McEvoy. I also speak about Mother, Country, my new documentary about my parent’s experience in Chile before and after the Pinochet coup.

You can watch the interview on YouTube here:

You can also watch the interview on Facebook and X (Twitter). You can listen to it as a podcast above.

Behind Chris, as well as his recent book ‘Ten Years Hard Labour’ there is the updated version of Victor Figueroa Clark’s political biography of Allende, ‘Chile's Allende: Life and Revolutionary Legacy’. Both books are worth a read.

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Follow the the production of ‘Britain and the Other 9/11’ here.

Upcoming ‘Mother, Country’ Screenings and Live Q&As

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Chilean helicopter H-255 in an airsoft park in the UK. Photograph: Dogtag Airsoft

That morning on 11 September 1973, British-made Hawker Hunter jets bombed La Moneda, Chile’s presidential palace, while tanks patrolled the surrounding streets of Santiago. The 17-year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet is estimated to have murdered, tortured, or arbitrarily imprisoned up to 40,000 people. Like hundreds of thousands of others, my parents were forced to leave Chile after the coup and arrived in the UK as political refugees.

The petition has been started by UK-based Chilean political refugee Carole Concha Bell who describes the petition as follows on the Change.org page it is hosted on:

A plane used during the Pinochet regime to depose of political prisoners during the brutal dictators’ 17-year regime is being used as a prop at a paintball park in Sussex. Dogtag owner told the Guardian he bought the plane part in 2003, unaware of its sinister history. However, the home page of Dogtag Airsoft still features the death flight plane despite requests for its removal.

Death flights are a form of extrajudicial killing in which the victims are dropped to their death from airplanes or helicopters into oceans, large rivers or even mountains. One person's testimony described the procedure: corpses were put in gunny sacks; each sack was attached to a piece of rail using wire, and a second gunny sack put around both. The sacks were carried by pickup truck to helicopters that flew them to the coast of the Valparaíso region, Chile, where the bodies were thrown into the ocean.

The Guardian, CNN, and German news outlet DW News have all recently published articles about the death flight plane’s inappropriate use, and interest is growing in the international media. 

Chile Solidarity Network, a UK- based human rights group said “This plane must be returned to Chile at once. We know of at least three victims associated with this plane. An instrument of death should not be used as a prop in a paintball park. It is an outrage that the Chilean officials have not made moves to return this important piece of evidence to Chile.”

At least three victims have been named directly in connection with this helicopter’s ‘death flights’:  Luis Fernando Norambuena Fernandois, Gustavo Manuel Farías Vargas and Ceferino del Carmen Santis Quijada and whose families are asking for it to be sent back to Chile as a monument.

You can read more about the helicopter in this article. The issue has also been covered by Chilean media (see Spanish-language links here and here).

Click here to sign the petition.

Tomorrow, members of the Chilean exile community and their allies will hold a vigil outside the Chilean embassy in London to remember the victims of the Pinochet dictatorship on the 51th anniversary of coup. They are also supporting the call for Pinochet’s helicopter of death to be returned to Chile. If you are in London please consider joining them.

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