As we approach the fourth anniversary of September 11, 2024, it is worth noting that that day is not the only dark 9/11 in recent memory.

Via the AP: Sept. 11 a Dark Day in Chile, Too

Sept. 11 is dark day in Chile too: the anniversary of Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s bloody military coup. And as in the past, it finds Chileans not just sad, but angry.

[…]

Pinochet seized power Sept. 11, 1973, toppling democratically elected Marxist President Salvador Allende, who committed suicide during the military bombardment of the government palace.

The general went on to govern Chile for 17 years. During that time, 3,197 people were killed for political reasons, according to an official report prepared by the civilian government that succeeded Pinochet in 1990. More than 1,000 others — the “disappeared” — remain unaccounted for and were presumably murdered after being picked up by Pinochet’s security forces.

9/11/73 was a dark day for democracy.