Totally unnoticed by the public, dramatic scenes still took place shortly before the final game of the World Cup. Protests in Rio de Janeiro were nipped in the bud with an extremely large contingent of security forces. It was clearly visible: at no cost should critical voices spoil the big farewell party.
For the day of the final (13 July 2014), a protest action was planned at 13h on the Praça Saens Peña. Already at 10 am the square was surrounded by the military police. The police units were part of an immense contingent of security forces totalling 26,000 men. When the demonstrators tried to move towards Maracanã Stadium, the demonstration was violently suppressed. An observer recorded the police action on video. Coletivo Mariachi's video shows (among other things) how the police forces targeted photographers, filmmakers and journalists in order to prevent them from documenting the police violence.
Intimidation through preventive detention
Already the day before 13 July, 17 activists of the World Cup protest movement were pre-emptively arrested in Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre on the charge of "founding criminal associations". A total of 60 arrest warrants were issued. Members of our partner organisation ANCOP were also affected, as well as professors, lawyers, teachers, students and activists from various social movements. The clear aim of these arrests was to demobilize and intimidate the protest movement. Only on July 17th, twelve of the activists arrested in Rio de Janeiro were released from custody. The remaining five are still in prison. Among those arrested is, for example, the young university professor Camila Jourdan.
Legal advice for imprisoned activists
For our partner organisation ANCOP, the conclusion so far is worrying. The suppression of peaceful protests has almost become the rule in Brazil since the mass protests in June 2013. Under the pretext of "public security", principles of the rule of law are being suspended and social movements are being systematically persecuted and criminalised. terre des hommes schweiz is using the donations generated by the "Social Pay per View" campaign to support the imprisoned activists with legal advice or bail.
After the World Cup is before the Olympics
In two years the Olympic Games will take place in Brazil. It remains to be seen whether and to what extent the organizers and the Brazilian government will resort to expulsion and repression to make the country "ready" for the games. ANCOP, with the help of terre des hommes schweiz, will continue to stand up for civil rights, because the social movements could not be silenced. Especially in view of the elections in October, the public debate on social and political rights in Brazil will continue.
