The shock photo of a Colombian protester evicted by a police water jet

The national strike in Colombia has already passed 46 days and in each of these days, repressive actions by the public forces continue to be observed. This second weekend of June, the French press agency, AFP, published an image that reflects this situation, since it shows the exact moment when a protester is hit by a jet of water launched from one of the Mobile Anti – Riot Squad (Esmad) tanks.

The photo was taken in Bogotá, the Colombian capital, on Saturday evening, June 12, by photographer Juan Barreto. In it, you can see the shocked person, who is apparently a young man, almost flying under the force of the water jet. After the captured moment, AFP ensures that the subject fell hard against the sidewalk.

A protester falls to the ground after being hit by a water jet during clashes with riot police amid ongoing protests against the government of Colombian President Iván Duque in Bogotá on June 12, 2021.⁣ across the country on April 28, initially against a tax hike that would have mainly affected the middle class, but which has turned into a huge anti-government movement, “wrote AFP during the presentation of the Photo.

The photo caught the attention of not only Colombians, but also people around the world who saw it on AFP social media. Even international outlets such as The Telegraph in the UK posted it in their weekend featured pictures section.

“He sent him flying!” ” ” Unbelievable. They kill and injure hundreds of people in the name of freedom ”,“ Respect the lives of Colombians ”, are some of the comments some people have made about the post.

So far, the identity of the person in this photo has not been revealed, but their health is of concern. Although throwing water seems like a harmless act, in this case it is not. The force with which Esmad tanks shoot liquid is very strong and can cause serious injury.

Indeed, on May 5, in the middle of the day of demonstrations in Barranquilla (Atlantic), Cristian Barrios Julio suffered a head trauma and internal bleeding after being hit by a jet of water launched by Esmad.

Apparently, the 24-year-old was with others peacefully mobilizing 46th Street with 58th Street in the Boston neighborhood around 5:00 p.m. The demonstrators resorted to defending themselves with stones, while the uniforms, from the tanks, fired water jets.

After the attack, Cristian spent nearly two weeks in a Barranquilla clinic and was only discharged until May 19, when the medical team who treated him ensured he was responding positively to therapy. . However, due to the strong impact, the young man’s memories of the time of the attack are still not very clear.

“I don’t quite remember what it was like when the jet hit me, but after recovering and watching videos I was able to remember certain situations. And the situation was really strong “Cristian told local media at the time.

The panorama of those affected by police repression in Colombia as part of the national strike is worrying. According to figures revealed by the NGO Temblores between 6:00 a.m. on April 28 and 12:00 p.m. on May 31, 3,789 cases of police violence were recorded in the country. Of the number of people affected, 45 were victims of homicidal violence perpetrated by the security forces.

KEEP READING: