Primera Línea

Primera Línea (lit. First line or Frontline) is the name for a loose collective of protesters dedicated to physically confronting Chilean riot police in the context of the 2019–20 Chilean protests. In the words of a member "it's about contesting [state] power".[1] The Primera Línea is made up of an assortement of individual citizens and grassroots organizations called "clans", lacking central authority.[1] A wide range of sympathetic organizations support Primera Línea providing them with aid, food and legal advice.[2] Members are of diverse backgrounds, including labourers, immigrants, university students and sports fans.[3]

Primera Línea has been accused by authorities and some mass media of being behind many misdemeanour, yet other people recognise their contributions to shield ordinary protesters from police violence.[1] On March 3, a group of Primera Línea was rounded up and detained by Carabineros enforcing a newly drafted law against barricades.[3] Subsequently, only one of the 44 detained was kept in preventive detention, the remaining people were set free but required to report and sign-in twice a month.[3] In this context, the president of the Supreme Court of Chile, Guillermo Silva and National Prosecutor Jorge Abbott, have both declared that being part of Primera Línea does not constitute a crime in itself.[4][5] Among the 44 detained, four had criminal records: two for theft; one for robbery; one previously sentenced for drug dealing, domestic violence, carrying butterfly knives in public, street fighting and causing minor injuries.[3]

Members of Primera Línea tend to assume distinct roles, such as shield-bearers, stone-throwers, tear gas grenade extinguishers, slingers, laser pointers, and tear gas medics.[1] Among these the laser pointers are the most numerous, their role consisting in disrupting police sight,[1] yet there are cases where surveillance drones have been downed by the laser pointers.[6]