Fighting teargas

In this series of images and video clip, a journalist had given a police officer some toothpaste to apply next to the eyes and nose. Protestors were using toothpaste to reduce the effects of inhaling teargas hurled at them during the protests. But shortly after the journalist gave the police officer the toothpaste, the journalist was shot in the thigh by another group of officers. The visuals were shared on X.com and shared widely. 

The images capture the creativity, ironies, and antagonisms of the Kenyan protests. A commonly used household item - toothpaste - became a defensive weapon. An individual helping another in the heat of the protests becomes a target by those she has helped. The antagonistic relationship between the documenters of the protest and the target of the protests (the State) is exposed.