May Day in Puerto Rico: Police Attack Anti-Austerity Protesters with Pepper Spray & Tear Gas

Thousands of Puerto Ricans marked May Day by joining a general strike in the capital of San Juan to protest austerity measures, from the closing of public schools to increases in university tuition. When protesters tried to converge on the building where the federal financial oversight board has its offices, police fired tear gas and pepper spray.

Protester Raina Ramírez, a chemistry student, described the violence:

“The police surrounded us. They blocked us from each side, and they didn’t let us through. They began throwing tear gas at us, and I couldn’t get out. I have asthma. And with that and running away, my asthma situation became more difficult.“

Watch the full report from the streets of San Juan.