War against the people of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro
Featured image: The Military Police carried out terrorist operations in dozens of favelas on between the 15th and 16th of May. Source: AND
During the last two weeks the Civilian and Military Police of Rio de Janeiro have carried out several large operations. Reports from A Nova Democracia (New Democracy, AND) describes the operations where the police are killing and wounding civilians as not being a war on “crime” but a war against the people and against the poor. The State is spreading terror in poorest neighborhoods of the city.
In the Jacarezinho favela, during the whole weekend of Mother’s Day, on the 14th of May, the Military Police (MP) carried out an operation. The operation which lasted until Monday 15th left two people dead and several wounded by gun fire. Residents were arbitrarily arrested, beaten and thrown to the ground by the police.
A resident said the following about the operation: “Jacarezinho is being attacked. Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Every day. The community is ‘pacified’. There are police inside the hill. And yet they are making these inroads. They come shooting, right? They don’t want to know who’s on the street. There are elderly people, children… there are workers. There are several people. And yet, they come shooting. They don’t want to know. And what for? What ‘integrated city’ is this? There is no ‘integrated city’.”
Jacarezinho which is one of the poorest and highest inhabited favelas in Rio has also previously experienced the terror of the State. The recent operation took place 2 years after the Jacarezinho Massacre in 2021, where the MP killed 28 young people.
A mother who lost her son in the 2021 massacre stated the following about the recent events: “Unfortunately for the State and for its armed wing, even if you are working, if you raise your hand [react], you are beaten. You can get shot and then they’ll say it was a stray bullet or a confrontation.
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Mother’s Day. Here the mothers were not entitled to that day, once again their Sunday was under fire. Not mine, because the State has already taken that right away from me.
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It is necessary to protest, because the situation of those who live in here is very difficult, your right to come and go is disrespected.”
Between the 15th and 16th of May the State continued their terror in other favelas. The Civilian and Military Police carried out a large-scale operation in Complexo da Penha and at the same time, operations in Complexo do Chapadão, Cidade de Deus as well as three other favelas. The AND reports that “the MP committed a series of crimes against the people, including summary executions, kidnappings and torture.”
On the reason for these attacks the report from AND states that “of course, this is not about curbing “organized crime”, since all illegal products, including drugs and weapons, reach the favelas across borders, with the connivance of the military. Furthermore, operations of this type only take place in working-class and poor neighborhoods.”
On the 18th of May another joint operation of the Civil and Military Police terrorized the residents of Complexo da Maré, lasting more than 10 hours. AND reports that residents were woken up by the sound of bombs and helicopters, while the police invaded several houses.
On the 24th of May another operation took place in Complexo do Alemão and Complexo da Penha. The operation started 5 in the morning and was still on going at the time of the last report on the 25th. During these days at least 9 residents were murdered by the police. One of them was killed by a grenade explosion.
Also this operation took place on the anniversary of a massacre, one year after at least 22 young people and workers were killed the same place.
