{"id":32142,"date":"2016-08-23T09:24:42","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T12:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=32142"},"modified":"2017-07-31T10:09:58","modified_gmt":"2017-07-31T13:09:58","slug":"amid-gold-medal-celebration-activists-protest-police-violence-and-demonstrate-hungertolive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=32142","title":{"rendered":"Amid Gold Medal Celebration, Activists Protest Police Violence and Demonstrate #HungerToLive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Shortly\u00a0after 8pm on Saturday, August 20, just as\u00a0the thousands of fans packed into the Olympic Boulevard in Rio\u2019s Port Region<\/a>\u00a0began celebrating Brazil\u2019s victory in the gold medal soccer match, a group of about two dozen local activists launched a campaign protesting police violence<\/a> against favela residents during the Olympics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The multi-generational\u00a0group, comprising\u00a0activists from across the city, climbed the base of one of the pillars lining Pra\u00e7a Mau\u00e1\u00a0and unfurled a bright orange banner\u00a0reading,\u00a0“How\u00a0many bodies of black favela residents does it take to make the\u00a0Olympics?” The\u00a0organizers took turns speaking into a megaphone to explain the purpose of the action and call attention to the violence affecting\u00a0their communities.<\/p>\n

“This is a symbolic act in response to the repression of the population during the Olympics,” said\u00a0one of the activists, a 24-year-old from the\u00a0Acari<\/a>\u00a0favela\u00a0in the North Zone<\/a>\u00a0who asked to remain anonymous. “The idea is not to respond to violence with more violence. We hope that more people will join us and mobilize.”<\/p>\n

The activists stayed\u00a0on the structure for about ten minutes, long enough for bystanders to take photos and record video, and for\u00a0the banner to appear in the background of the TV broadcast shown on the big screen in\u00a0the plaza.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Organizers\u00a0strategically planned the\u00a0action to coincide with the end of the match, when it would have maximum impact and visibility in front of the thousands\u00a0of people gathered at the Boulevard. As the final minutes of regulation time in the match between Germany and Brazil ticked away, they made\u00a0their way through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd then remained at their post around the pillar for nearly\u00a040 minutes more\u00a0as the match went into overtime, then to penalty kicks.<\/p>\n

“We chose this place and this time because it’s the time of the Olympics, and the Olympic Boulevard has the greatest concentration of people,” said a 27-year-old\u00a0participant from Vila Isabel, who described himself as a “supporter” of the campaign. “This place is also significant, it’s a symbolic location because of the development projects<\/a> and the evictions<\/a> that have taken place in the Port zone.”<\/p>\n

The crowd around the banner appeared mostly supportive, taking a break from cheering\u00a0and hugging one another to clear a space around the banner, snap photos, and record video. While one small group of men shouted at the protesters in disagreement, others nearby applauded the action.<\/p>\n

The action coincided with\u00a0a similar protest<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0Maracan\u00e3 stadium<\/a>, where the gold medal match was taking place. In the stadium,\u00a0Carlos da Silva Souza, father of one of the five youth killed\u00a0by police<\/a> in Costa Barros<\/a>\u00a0in November 2015, displayed\u00a0a banner showing the faces of the five young men and reading, “Rio, 450 years as Olympic champion in murders of poor black youth.”<\/p>\n

\"Protest<\/a><\/p>\n

Prior to the action in Pra\u00e7a Mau\u00e1, some participants\u00a0were anxious about a potential police response.<\/p>\n

“Demonstrations are prohibited within Olympic events and spaces,” said the activist from Acari. “We’re breaking that rule, so we hope everything is calm. We don’t want any confrontations with anyone.”<\/p>\n

A group of about 16\u00a0officers monitored the activists\u00a0as they gathered and planned the action, but no police were nearby when the protest took place.<\/p>\n

The action marked the kickoff\u00a0of a new campaign by favela activists<\/a>, organized under the slogan\u00a0#FomeDeViver (#HungerToLive). In the week leading up to\u00a0to the event, organizers posted videos on Facebook protesting ongoing police violence against favela residents, explaining why they had \u201chunger to live,\u201d and encouraging supporters to create and share\u00a0their own videos.<\/p>\n