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Fighting breaks out in Rio de Janeiro as police move to clear 5,000 squatters from buildings Fighting breaks out in Rio de Janeiro as police move to clear 5,000 squatters from buildings
(about 9 hours later)
RIO DE JANEIRO — Squatters occupying a complex of abandoned buildings in Rio de Janeiro clashed with police Friday morning after a court ordered the premises cleared. RIO DE JANEIRO — Squatters occupying a complex of abandoned buildings in Rio de Janeiro clashed with police Friday after a court ruling that allowed the premises to be cleared.
Hundreds of police moved into the area in the early morning hours, and Brazilian media reported that most of the 5,000 squatters left peacefully. But fighting soon broke out when some of the residents began throwing rocks at the police, who responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and percussion grenades. Hundreds of police moved into the area early in the morning, and Brazilian media reported that most of the 5,000 squatters left peacefully. But fighting soon broke out when some of the residents began throwing rocks at the police, who responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and percussion grenades.
The violence continued throughout the morning as one of the buildings as well as trucks, buses and a police car were set on fire. Two bank branches were looted, and the O Dia newspaper said some residents threw Molotov cocktails at the police as the fighting spread. A police helicopter hovered above at one point. One of the buildings, a truck, buses and police vehicles were set on fire, and local media reported that three bank branches were vandalized as the violence spread. Seven civilians and nine police officers were injured, a police spokesman said.
Lt. Col. Claudio Costa told TV Globo that the eviction was the biggest Rio state had dealt. “The situation is under control,” he said. Squatters began taking over the complex, owned by a cellphone company, on March 31. The area came to be known as the Telerj Favela, or the slum of Telerj, the name of a telephone company that previously occupied the site, as more people moved in and also began living in improvised shelters on the premises.
The complex, owned by the cellphone company Oi and situated in North Rio, was first squatted on March 31. It was informally named the Telerj Favela, or the slum of Telerj, the name of a telephone company that previously occupied the site. Television showed images of demonstrators shouting, “We want houses,” but police said the situation was calm by afternoon.
Some residents told Brazilian television that riot police entered the complex firing tear gas without warning even though children were sleeping. Television showed images of demonstrators shouting, “We want houses.” Occupations of land and abandoned buildings are common in Brazil, where 11 million people live in favela-type communities, according to government figures. The problem is particularly acute in Rio de Janeiro, where 22 percent of the city’s 6.3 million residents live in favelas, according to the 2010 census.
Other residents accused the police of aggression. “They cornered us inside. They said no one would leave,” one resident, who did not give his name, told TV Globo. For decades, armed drug gangs have dominated these areas, which often have economic and organizational structures apart from the rest of Brazilian society. The Telerj Favela was the most recent established in Rio.
Three children and four adults were injured, according to local reports. As part of a program to quell the violence, 37 armed police bases have been established in favelas since 2008 in the run-up to the soccer World Cup this summer and the 2016 Summer Olympics. Some favelas have also been cleared to make way for works related to the events.
Police said 25 people had been arrested — 10 for attempting to rob a local supermarket. “These were people who were not even involved in the operation,” said a spokesman for the Rio state security department. But the program has begun to show cracks as drug gangs thought to have been expelled have begun to fight back and gunfights have shaken previously pacified areas. The police have repeatedly been accused of human rights abuses, including torture and murder.
The O Globo newspaper said a reporter was arrested by police for attempting to photograph the operation. A Rio court approved the action in the Telerj Favela on April 4, a court spokesman said. “It is a judicial decision, given to the owner of the land, to retake possession of the land which was invaded,” he said.
In a statement Friday, the state government said the police operation followed a judicial order and that 40 legal officials were accompanying the operation.
A Rio court approved the invasion April 4, a court spokesman said. “It is a judicial decision, given to the owner of the land, to retake possession of the land which was invaded,” he said.
Invasions of unoccupied buildings and land are common in Brazil, where 11 million people live in favela-type communities, according to government figures. The Telerj Favela was the most recent shanty town established in Rio, where 22 percent of its 6.3 million residents live in hundreds of favelas.