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BBC: The Chilean band speaking out against police violence
  
July 2023


The Chilean band speaking out against police violence




For Chilean band Hacia La Victoria (Onwards to Victory), performing songs in their hometown of Santiago is an act of protest.

All of the band's members were left either totally or partially blinded by projectiles fired by police during the mass anti-government protests which swept through Chile in late 2019 and early 2020.

Keyboard player Vicente Pascal was struck by a rubber-coated bullet in his left eye. "I lost my entire eyeball," he recalls.

The band's drummer, Gustavo Gatica, lost his sight completely after both of his eyes were pierced by rubber bullets during a protest in November 2019.

Photos of his blood-soaked face went viral on social media and his case became emblematic of the police repression of the protests.

BBC WORLD










 Hi, I'm Charis McGowan, a British-Caribbean writer based between London, UK, and Santiago, Chile.

I’ve been a regular news stringer in Chile for over eight years, contributing to outlets including The Guardian, Al Jazeera, the BBC, The Telegraph, and more. My work primarily focuses on human rights and social justice. Additionally, I am the former Music Editor-at-Large at gal-dem, where I wrote extensively about music and culture with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean.

I’m open to commissions, collaborations, talks, and projects.
 
Please get in touch via the form. 

Or email me at: charismcgowan at gmail.com