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Brazilian Police Accused of Retribution in Killings of Dozens in Raids Targeting Gangs

HeadlineAug 03, 2023

In Brazil, at least 45 people have been killed in police raids targeting gangs over the past week. In São Paulo state, police killed 16 people during a five-day raid, in what appears to be retaliation following the fatal shooting of an officer. Protesters took to the streets after the deadly raid in the coastal city of Guarujá.

Protester: “We want to tell our public servant, Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, that he is violating our Constitution. The fifth article, which is about the right to life, the inviolable right to housing, is being broken into. We want to tell our public servant that we do not accept paying for the bullet that kills our children.”

São Paulo’s right-wing Governor Tarcísio de Freitas is a close ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro and has been cast as a likely contender to run for the presidency after Bolsonaro was barred from holding office until 2030.

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