Protest Against Police Violence Ends in Confusion with Police in Rio

Policeman pointed rifle at unarmed protester amid demonstration

Rio de Janeiro

A protest against police violence on Sunday afternoon (31) ended in confusion with the police in Rio de Janeiro, with a policeman pointing a rifle at an unarmed and barefoot demonstrator in front of the Guanabara Palace in Rio de Janeiro.

The protester was in the middle of the protest "Vidas Negras Importam (Black Lives Matter)," which shared pictures of the boy João Pedro, 14, shot at home during a police operation in São Gonçalo (RJ), on May 18.

The demonstration highlighted the same theme of the protests in the United States in recent days for the death of George Floyd, a black American killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis.

Policeman pointed rifle at unarmed protester amid demonstration (Foto: Reprodução/TV Globo) - Reprodução/TV Globo

Although peaceful, the movement in Rio ended up in conflict with the police, in front of the Guanabara Palace. Globo News instantly noticed that a PM points a rifle at an unarmed demonstrator in the middle of the demonstration.

According to the broadcaster, the protest ended around 4:30 pm, but delayed protesters caused crowds and provoked police reaction with rubber bullets and bombs of moral effect to disperse the public. The policeman was asked to comment on the incident but did not respond before publication.

Fourteen-year-old João Pedro was killed in a Federal Police operation with the support of the Civil and Military Police. Relatives and friends say the boy was playing with his cousins when police arrived, throwing gas bombs and shooting, hitting the young man in the belly.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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