Tear gas is known as a “riot control agent,” so it is exempts from chemical weapons protocols. It means, it can still be used on streets by domestic police forces, but not by soldiers in a war zone. However, it’s use still has some regulations on when and how to use it, meaning it must be strictly necessary, when other less harmful methods have failed

Physical reactions to tear gas can range from watering eyes, sneezing, coughing, vomiting to temporary blindness. It remains effective at demoralizing and dispersing crowds, turning the street from a place of protest into toxic chaos. ​

For many years, people have fought back. In Latin America, Europe, Asia, whenever you see a protest are taking place, there is always the use of tear gas. ​ This series of images were taken in Venezuela, my birth country, when protests erupted against the dictatorship in 2014-2017. They are the reflection of people all over the world. Those who stand up, who resist, who hold their tears back an fight.