On Wednesday in Santo Domingo, a peaceful demonstration organized by agricultural workers seeking improved working conditions for the nation’s rural sector ended in chaos when the Dominican National Police deployed tear gas to break up the crowd before it reached the National Palace.
The mobilization was coordinated by the National Association of Agricultural Professionals (ANPA), which had planned a deliberate, orderly route starting at Independence Park and ending at the seat of government to deliver their demands to national authorities. What was intended as a peaceful expression of long-unmet grievances was cut short when security forces intervened with chemical irritants, scattering the assembled crowd before it could complete its journey.
ANPA’s members have spent years pushing for three core changes: meaningful salary increases, enhanced pension benefits, and updated labor protections that reflect the critical contribution agricultural professionals make to the Dominican economy. Association leaders say none of these long-standing requests have received a formal, adequate response from the government. During the police intervention, Tito Hernández, the president of ANPA, was directly exposed to tear gas, requiring emergency assistance from fellow demonstrators before being transported to a local medical facility for evaluation and care.
Protest participants voiced deep anger and alarm over the law enforcement response, noting that a large share of ANPA’s membership consists of veteran professionals, many of whom are over the age of 60 and live with pre-existing chronic health conditions. For this vulnerable group, exposure to tear gas poses far more severe health risks than it would for younger demonstrators. Organizers also emphasized that they had properly notified the Ministry of Interior and Police of the march’s route and peaceful intent ahead of time, maintaining that Dominican law only requires notification rather than formal government permission for public demonstrations.
Despite the aggressive police response and Wednesday’s disruption, ANPA leaders have made clear their campaign is far from over. The association has warned that protests will resume in the coming days, and could ramp up in intensity if the government continues to ignore their demands. Leaders stressed that they are fully prepared to hold daily mobilizations across the country if that is what it takes to secure long-overdue improvements for agricultural professionals nationwide.