At least 18 people were killed in the Complexo do Alemãn slum in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday after a large police raid against crime in the area.
13:12•Updated 13:59
Late yesterday in the Complexo do Alemãn slum area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, peace was demanded for the area in a demonstration commemorating those who died in a police raid on Thursday. Local Marcos Valerio according to him, the biggest threat to the people of the region is the violence perpetrated by the state.
– There are no jobs, no social support, no food. A person maintains his worth if he gets a job, says Valerio.
According to him, since 2010, the state has limited young people’s opportunities for hobbies and studies, which increases the possibility of taking up arms.
Brazilian police and army raided the slum on Thursday. At least 18 people died in the attack, but the numbers have varied. BBC’s (switching to another service) According to the authorities, 16 of the dead were criminals, one policeman and a bystander died in the attack.
The attack was part of an operation aimed at getting the slums or favelas controlled by drug dealers under the control of the authorities. The target of the raid was a criminal group that stole cars and robbed banks and invaded nearby areas. About 400 police officers took part in the major police operation, supported by ten bulletproof vehicles and four helicopters.
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The police raids slum areas at regular intervals. In May, 22 people were killed in a raid in the Vila Cruzeiro area. Last year, on the other hand, 28 people died in a raid in the Jacarezinho district in Rio de Janeiro.
President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro it is worth the police’s action. According to him, criminals should “die like cockroaches”.
The raids have also been compared to police violence faced by black people in the United States. According to NPR, in the Complexo do Alemã area, two to three quarters are black or have a background from several ethnic groups.
According to the human rights expert, the police had not helped or allowed to help those injured in the raid.
– The purpose is not to arrest but to kill. If a person is wounded, he does not deserve help, says an expert from the Human Rights Commission of Brazilian Criminal Lawyers Gilberto Santiago Lopes.