Las Tesis flashmob 'Un violador en tu camino' goes global

The feminist flashmob 'Un violador en tu camino' (A Rapist in Your Path) has spread from Valparaíso, Chile to cities worldwide including London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Stockholm, Ankara, Istanbul, New Delhi, New York, Montreal, Milan, Rome, Bologna, Naples, and Genoa. The performance was created by the Chilean collective Las Tesis, formed about a year ago by Dafne Valdés, Sibila Sotomayor, Paula Cometa, and Lea Cáceres. The group aims to translate feminist theories into a replicable bodily, musical, and performative language, drawing from Silvia Federici's 'Calibán y la bruja' and the work of anthropologist Rita Segato. The flashmob debuted on November 20, 2019, during a theater festival in Valparaíso. It gained momentum on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, when over a hundred protesters performed in Santiago, Chile. By December 4, an estimated 10,000 women gathered at Santiago's Estadio Nacional to sing the anthem. The lyrics explicitly accuse state institutions—carabineros, judges, the state, and the president—of systemic violence, coinciding with abuses and torture by police and state forces against women participating in recent anti-government protests in Chile. Participants often wear black blindfolds and colorful clothing, chanting 'the fault is not mine, nor my dress, nor the street. The rapist is you,' denouncing victim-blaming.