On Thursday, August 18th, the police raided sixteen Mapuche homes in search of weapons. The raids and their aftermath ended in at least three people being shot — two Mapuche individuals and a police officer. According to Radio Bio-Bio, a Chilean news source that covers many Indigenous issues, the police initially would not allow their vehicle to pass in order to view and report on the incidents as they occurred. Two other media outlets — the state-owned TVN television station, and the conservative newspaper, El Mercurio – were allowed to pass.
According to the reports, the police blocked access to the site with a vehicle and initially did not allow the Radio Bio-Bio reporters through. The officers told the reporters that they had orders from higher up to block access as official police action took place. Despite this statement, at least two other news outlets were allowed to travel down the road. Ultimately, after Radio Bio-Bio decided to speak on the airwaves about their inability to get to the Mapuche communities, the police acquiesced and allowed the radio station to pass.
