TRADE union and political activists in Sheffield joined members of the city’s Chilean community on Saturday to commemorate victims of the 1973 fascist coup in Chile.

The event marked the 51st anniversary of the 1973 coup, when the elected government of Chile’s president Salvador Allende was overthrown by General Augusto Pinochet.

In the years following, thousands of left-wing political activists in Chile “disappeared” or were murdered by the military regime.

An amnesty allowed political refugees to leave Chile and find refuge in Europe.

In towns and cities across Britain, including Sheffield, the labour and trade union movement mobilised to welcome around 3,000 Chilean political refugees.

Jobs and homes were found by trade unions — in many cases, working with supportive Labour councils.

Many refugees became part of local communities, had families and remained after the restoration of democracy in Chile in 1990.

In Sheffield on Saturday, a plaque was unveiled by grandchildren of Chileans who arrived there in the years after 1973, and a tree was planted in their memory.

The event was organised by the Chilean Solidarity Network (CSN) and funded by Sheffield Green Party.

Maria Vasquez-Aguilar of CSN said: “There are still thousands of people in Chile who do not know what happened to their loved ones.

“For those of us who sought refuge in Sheffield, this tree and plaque will be a place where we can come and reflect, and hopefully inspire others that from darkness can come light.”