Tomas Stargardter: Nicaragua's Season of Protest

Every year when the rains stop Nicaraguan university students take to the streets to protest against the government. The usual theme is public university funding, but this year it was a price hike in public transport bus fares. The students favorite weapon is the home made black gunpowder mortar, basically a two and one half inch metal pipe with one end closed that discharges home made bombs at police. It’s a crude but effective weapon as riots go. Just aim it towards the police, light the fuse and let it ignite and wait a second for it to discharge. BOOM! The charge flies about 100 meters in the general direction it was aimed at and explodes. Police know it’s a game. They are well protected in their cocoon of riot gear, pads, helmets, visors. The mortar charges usually explode harmlessly around them, and the only way any of them get hurt is if they get a direct hit.

There are more injuries from rocks than from these bombs. We, on the other hand, are more exposed. All we carry are a helmet and a gas mask. The helmet to protect your noggin and the gas mask to be able to see what you shoot. Mobility is what we use to get out of harms way. Riot police fire back with plastic darts shot from AK 47’s, bird shot and plastic bullets. Seldom do the groups comes into contact with one another and they are both happy to spend the afternoon in a kind of dangerous game in wich they launch explosives at each other from a distance. Punctuated with the eventual police charge engulfed in a stinging cloud of tear gas. It’s a photojournalist’s dream. Two large groups of people hurling missiles at each other within easy shooting distance.

The missiles are not aimed at you and you are basically free to shoot from wherever you want, as long as you use common sense. But the missiles are dangerous and deadly. Last year one police officer died and two where seriously wounded. A student also died in the confrontations from gunshot wounds. This year several journalists where slightly injured covering the riots. Overall none have died so far. This year’s most serious injury for us was Spanish freelance photojournalist Antonio Aragon, who was shot in the hand with a plastic bullet, fracturing his pinky finger and painfully injuring his hand. Three years ago it was me when I fell in a hole backing away from a cloud of tear gas. (I hate tear gas.) I was lucky, just sprained my ankle really bad, and was out for three days.

This year I was really lucky. I only got tear gassed really badly a couple of times (did I mention I really hate tear gas) and took a glass marble in the chest (better than in the teeth). Another day I was stupid enough to stay put when I was supposed to run away, along with all other smart photojournalists’ (It’s a good idea to take off running when you see your mates running from the spot you are shooting from -- It means something bad is coming your way.) My shooting buddy Oswaldo Rivas from Reuters was concussed badly by a mortar bomb and had to leave the area. I stayed put, seeking cover in a bus stop, as mortar bombs, rocks, bottles, birdshot, teargass, all flew past me. I did not get a scratch, but got some really nice images of a police truck coming in to clear the students, shotguns blazing and some poor TV cameraman who like me did not have the good sense to run, getting caught in the crossfire. Over all, I did OK during this riot season. Nobody was injured seriously. A couple of cops got hit by rocks and concussed by mortars. A couple of students where shot with rubber bullets and kneecapped (I guess it’s better than getting killed).

In the end it took a world cup and the beginning of the rains to put a stop the the riots. The politicians manipulating the situation got what they wanted, The police got a budget increase and they where happy. The students vented their frustrations and pressured the government to intervene in the public transport bus fares. And I got my pictures. In the end we all went home happy.

Nicaraguan police officer charges students to clear them off the streets.

Spartacus... Student fires his slingshot at riot police.

Univerity student fires his mortar at police.

Riot police launch tear gas at students.

Student returns fire from a kindergarten entrance next to the university.

Students fire their mortar at approaching police.

The only shot nobody else got. I got stuck in the crossfire.

A police officer is evacuated after being hit in the face with a rock. His face mask was up and he paid the price.

Medic attends a student shot in the knee with a plastic bullet. Students where not happy to see us there because they

thought our images would be used to identify them later on by police.

Riot police officer throws a tear gas grenade.

Even the DaVinci code got into the action as a barricade during the riots.

Spent shotgun shell casings bear witness to the intensity of the fight.

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