Brazil sees unrest after police raids kill over 130: What's happening?

Massive protests have erupted across Brazil after a deadly police raid in the city of Rio de Janeiro claimed the lives of at least 132 people on Tuesday, the BBC reported.

What's happening

 

The raids, which targeted a drug gang embedded in low-income neighbourhoods, are one of the deadliest in the history of Rio de Janeiro. The raids were launched by at least 2,500 police and soldiers in helicopters, armoured vehicles, and on foot, targeting the Red Command gang, Associated Press reported. They drew gunfire and other retaliation from gang members, sparking scenes of chaos across the city on Tuesday.

 

On Wednesday, residents laid dozens of dead bodies on a street in one of the targeted communities to highlight the magnitude of the operation. The residents also gathered in front of the state government's headquarters, shouting assassins! and waving Brazilian flags stained with red paint.

Why it matters

 

The massive scale of police raids and the subsequent death tolls in the city have ignited national outrage and renewed scrutiny over Brazil's policing tactics. Human rights groups are now seeking an investigation into the incident, terming the deaths a "tragedy". According to a report in Time, César Muñoz, director of Human Rights Watch in Brazil, said, "The succession of lethal operations that do not result in greater safety for the population, but that in fact cause insecurity, reveals the failure of the policies of Rio de Janeiro." He further said, "The public prosecutor's office must open its own investigations and clarify the circumstances of each death."

Timeline of events

 

On October 28, the police launched a massive anti-drug raid in the city's Complexo do Alemão and Penha neighbourhoods, targeting the Comando Vermelho gang.

 

On October 29, residents took the bodies of those killed to a square in Penha, where they were lined up to show the deadly nature of the raids, BBC reported, which added that the estimate of dead bodies varied between at least 50 and more than 70.

Government's reaction

 

Rio de Janeiro's governor, Cláudio Castro, defended the raids. He praised the officers killed on what he called "a historic day" in which he said they "confronted organised crime".

 

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed shock over the raids, adding that the federal governments were not informed beforehand.