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Brazil: Police Raid on Rio Favelas Leaves At Least 18 Dead

    Brazil: Police Raid on Rio Favelas Leaves At Least 18 Dead
    Last updated Jul 23, 2022
    Image credit: AP [via Daily Mail]

    Facts

    • On Thurs., at least 18 people died as tactical teams of Rio de Janeiro's state police raided a complex of favelas - or slums - known as Complexo do Alemão to tackle a group allegedly involved in cargo theft and bank robberies.[1]
    • Two of the deceased included a bystander and a police officer, while the remainder are still unidentified.[2]
    • Rio state police declared that the still unidentified casualties are likely to be criminals, claiming all of them died confronting security forces.[1]
    • The operation - which lasted 12 hrs - involved 400 officers, 10 armored vehicles, and four helicopters. Four men were arrested and the police seized four rifles, two pistols, and a .50 machine gun.[3]
    • This comes after a number of people died in May during a police raid in Vila Cruzeiro favela. Last year, two dozen - including a police officer - were killed in the Jacarezinho area of the city.[4]
    • While Brazil's police forces are among the deadliest in the world, officials claim to try their best to avoid conflict, acting solely in reaction to gang attacks.[3]

    Spin

    Left narrative

    Though not directly linked to operations carried out by state police, Pres. Bolsonaro has influenced them by defending legal immunities for police officers and promoting security policies based on increased violence. As a result, there has been a surge in police massacres in impoverished areas in Brazil.

    Right narrative

    Despite being heavily criticized by the left, Bolsonaro's security policies have proved to be able to curb violence. It's no coincidence that after empowering police officers and granting them the right to self-defense, the homicide rate in Rio de Janeiro has fallen to an all-time low.

    Nerd narrative

    There's a 29% chance that Jair Bolsonaro will be president of Brazil by 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

    Political split

    LEFT

    RIGHT

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