Security & Strategic Review - January 2014 (ISSN 1741-4202)

The security forces had warned as early as November 2013 that the Mapuche heartland in Araucanía faced the prospect of another wave of militant actions similar to that of a year earlier. By early December a communiqué had begun to circulate in social networks calling for the staging of a protest campaign between 30 December and 5 January, commemorating the 6th anniversary of the death of Matías Catrileo, a Mapuche militant killed by Carabineros during a land invasion. Plans began to be drawn up  to strengthen the police presence in Araucanía and step up intelligence gathering — but the violence began earlier than expected, and the authorities did not know for certain who was behind it.