“My election is the result of a punishment vote on the right. They do not represent us, and being chosen as a senator by the people is a great joy. There is a lot to do from tomorrow, but today we will celebrate”, said Fabiola Campillai, 37, this Sunday night (21), after becoming one of the five elected senators who will represent the capital Santiago in Congress from March 2022.
One of the most recognizable faces of the victims of police repression in the 2019 demonstrations, Campillai lost sight in both eyes as he and his sister waited for a bus to go to work.
She was not a protester, but even so she was targeted by a carabinero, who threw a tear gas bomb in her direction from a distance of 50 meters. The artifact hit his face at an estimated temperature of 200°C. Campillai fell and was unconscious. In addition to the pain she would feel for months, she remembers another agent shouting at his colleague: “Nice shot, you hit her!”
Campillai lost his sight and brain mass. Therefore, he also lost his taste and smell. The aggression also caused fractures in several bones, one of the reasons for her to undergo more than ten surgeries. More than 400 people suffered eye injuries during protests two years ago in Chile.
Before being elected independently, Campillai, who will support Gabriel Boric in the second round against Pinochetista José Antonio Kast, was a firefighter, worked in a community center and in a factory.
In his free time, he played football. Today, the mother of three children cannot leave the house without receiving help from someone. She lives in the poor neighborhood of San Bernardo and, three months ago, after undergoing rehabilitation treatment, she was reinstated to work at the factory in an administrative role. But he had already launched himself into politics.
The police officer who attacked her was removed from the corporation, but only because he did not provide assistance. The NGO Amnesty International asked the Chilean Public Ministry to carry out investigations into the case. The security officer is currently being processed.
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