Freedom fighting-violin virtuoso Wuilly Arteaga is the internet's latest viral sensation. 

After leaving a war-torn Venezuela following his arrest last year, the 24-year-old activist has made New York City his home. Venezuela has fallen into political and economic crises with violent clashes between citizens and police a common trend, according to Reuters.  

Arteaga was an activist at the height of 2017's protests. Playing the nation's national anthem on his violin was his version of a protest sign that called out injustices against the country's residents. But his beautiful music was seen as a threat to President Nicolas Maduro reports The New York Times. He was often met with rubber bullets and police brutality. 

The Human Rights Foundation invited him to speak and perform in September of last year in New York. Instead of returning to the fray, he decided to stay in America. He worked hard, learned English and earned a visa to make a new life in America.

“I suffered a lot only because I played the violin against the government. I was tortured, I was put in jail. I don’t want to repeat that experience. Even though I am here and I feel safe, I fear to return to Venezuela and going through the same thing,” he told WTOP in March.  

Becoming the most well-known face of the protests made him public enemy No. 1 and he had to leave.

If Arteaga returned to his beloved country, he could face more than 30 years in prison and possible violence. He told Blavity via email that his courageous act was "not fun to remember" because of the pain and torture he has had to face. So this new chapter brings more hope.

The violinist went viral again in early August. Internet content creators posted a one-minute video of the musician on Twitter showing the violinist playing along to Ty Dollar $. In the video which has received millions of views, four talented dancers broke out and started doing the Harlem Shake as Arteaga played.

"I feel it's a second chance for the world to meet a violinist who not only provokes tears of pain for his story but also hope and joy for the energy of his music," Arteaga told Blavity.

Sometimes when he feels bored, he'll go to Times Square and play. Nearly every time he plays, he says New Yorkers come around and dance along to his music — which is how his latest video came about. Arteaga says he'd never met the four dancers before the video, but he now plans on working them in the future.

Arteaga knows the imperative role music plays in his life and hopes to use his own to continue challenging the oppressive powers that be.

"The images that appeared on the international portals when I was playing in front of the Venezuelan government guard[s] were a clear example of repression toward a peaceful struggle," he said. "So the Venezuelan government is frowned upon by the world as a dictator and torturer government that doesn't respect the basic human rights of citizens.”

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Harlem shake challengeWuilly Arteaga