On social media, 'Spoliarium' shows police van plowing into people

On social media, Juan Luna's masterpiece "Spoliarium" has been edited to include the police vehicle that plowed into protesters in front of the US Embassy in Manila this week.

The idea came from Hector Brizuela who watched in shock on TV on Wednesday as a police vehicle reversed into a crowd of people and then accelerated forward and in reverse repeatedly.

"I was just watching the videos of the incident last Wednesday then I saw the similarities. I posted the Spoliarium photo on Facebook and asked if anyone can edit it to put a police van on it. Luckily, Matt [Baguinon] replied immediately," Brizuela told GMA News Online in an interview Saturday. 

In a separate interview, Baguinon said "the uncanny resemblance between the inhumanity portrayed in Spoliarium and the inhumanity that happened during the US Embassy rally is really striking."

"I was inspired to do this quick photo edit on my phone hoping that other people would realize it, too," he added.

Brizuela called for justice for the protesters who were injured.

"I hope those who were at fault will be held accountable. Police brutality has no place in a democratic country that values freedom of expression," he said.

The Manila Police District has admitted that there was "excessive force" used during the dispersal but refuted accusations of police brutality.

The driver of the police vehicle, meanwhile, claimed that he acted in self-defense.  — VVP, GMA News