Having become a symbol of the social unrest, Gatica works as a psychologist in Estacion Central district and recently expressed his interest in running for a seat in Congress, and is focusing his eventual candidacy on issues such as mental health, disability, and human rights.

“I would love to run on the ruling party’s list. What people expect from the left is unity under the leadership of Jeannette Jara, who is also a leader that speaks to me, and that I like,” the activist said in an interview with the newspaper La Tercera.

Although his intention is to be on the list of parties in the Unity for Chile pact, he is also considering running as an independent in the November elections, for which he needs around two thousand signatures.

Gustavo Gatica was hit by pellets fired by police officers on November 8, 2019, causing him to completely lose his sight.

More than 400 people suffered eye damage during the police crackdown on protests against the neoliberal model, which continued until March 2020.

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