Tear Gas in Plaza de la Dignidad, Santiago de Chile
In 2019, one and a half million people took to the streets in Chile demanding an end to high metro fares, a failing democracy and the neglect of education and healthcare. On 20 December, hundreds of tear gas canisters were fired at demonstrators in central Santiago. They were occupying a square with a monument to General Manuel Baquedano, surrounded by a major traffic intersection, which the protesters dubbed Plaza de la Dignidad (Dignity Square).
The use of brutal police violence and massive quantities of tear gas by the Chilean authorities showed blatant disregard for the health of the demonstrators. Forensic Architecture and Chilean medical activist group No+Lacrimógenas analysed the events of that day, assessing the scale of the health risks posed. The investigation combined footage from various media and social media sources and a nearby webcam overlooking the square with data analysis and modelling software.
That day, 596 tear gas canisters were counted and geolocated. The concentration of tear gas reached a toxicity level forty times higher than the legal threshold, endangering the lives of demonstrators.