Argentina: Striking teacher killed by police

argentina / uruguay / paraguay | repression / prisoners | other libertarian press Sunday April 08, 2007 06:49 by coyote - WSA

Carlos Fuentealba (41) was killed on Thursday night after being hit in the head by a tear gas grenade fired into a crowd of protesters. Fellow strikers blocked roads across the province on Friday and a national general strike has been called for Monday by the teaching unions.

Mr Fuentealba was sitting in a car that was part of a rolling blockade when the shot was fired, according to the driver, Gonzalo Arroyo, the car was suddenly surrounded by 20 officers who began to strike it with rifle butts so that they would stop in the middle of the clouds of tear gas, another officer then fired a tear gas grenade, from a distance of less than two metres, into the back windscreen. Carlos, who was in the back seat, was struck in the neck He died from his injuries late on Thursday night.