april 19th 2017

It was a day of violent protests in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. A convoy of armored VN-4 riot vehicle, also called “Rinocerontes” was heading down the main highway of the city, towards a massive concentration.

That day, "The mother of all marches" was held to commemorate the independence of Venezuela from the kingdom of Spain. That day, April 19, at least 3 people were killed and the streets were filled with wounded...

It all started in a second, police advance on foot and in armored vehicles, tear gas canisters everywhere to disperse the people who were protesting. Suddenly, a woman emerges from the smoke and walks directly towards one of these vehicles, with nothing more than a Venezuelan flag around her neck and a handkerchief to cover her mouth, she stands in front of the truck to prevent it from moving forward.

The VN-4 began backing up. Instead of walking away, the woman followed it. Tear gas canisters were troughed near her, and national guard started nudging the woman with their vehicle, the woman stood to prevent the advancement of the vehicle. The woman was later arrested, released shortly after that.

She had the courage and strength to stop an armored vehicle with just her body.

The tank woman became a symbol of nonviolent resistance. Her image undoubtedly evokes that of the tank man during the protests in the People's Republic of China.