Witness History Chile's 'Penguin Revolution'
Jan 28, 2026
Karina Delfino, a former student organiser from Santiago who later became a local mayor, recalls leading Chile’s 2006 Penguin Revolution. She explains why students were called penguins and how school occupations shifted public opinion. The conversation covers Pinochet-era education reforms, nationwide strikes, presidential concessions and the movement’s long-term political impact.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
School Occupations Changed The Narrative
- Karina Delfino describes how students occupied schools peacefully to control the narrative after violent marches were misreported.
- They stayed overnight, fixed and painted schools, and expanded occupations until media attention shifted to their demands.
Education Inequality As Structural Problem
- The movement linked educational inequality directly to market reforms from Pinochet's dictatorship. -Students argued opportunity depended on parents' ability to pay, making inequality a structural political issue.
Personal Experience Fueled Activism
- Karina recounts growing up poor and seeing broken windows, non-working toilets and lack of supplies at her school.
- Her experience drove her to study education and finance laws to campaign for systemic change.