Social movements march against racism in Brazil

Edited by Ed Newman
2021-11-20 19:33:36

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There were marches in a hundred cities in Brazil to demand the impeachment of President Bolsonaro.​​​

Brasilia, November 21 (RHC)-- On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first event to commemorate the National Day of Black Consciousness in Brazil, thousands of people marched this Saturday through the streets of about 100 cities in that country against racial discrimination and the racist speech of President Jair Bolsonaro.

The mobilizations gave continuity to the protests to demand the impeachment of the president, were articulated around the slogan "Out, Bolsonaro, racist," and were expressed through political acts, cultural demonstrations and solidarity actions.  They also served to denounce the consequences of inequality in the black community, where 76.2 percent of the people killed in the South American nation during 2020 come from.

In addition to respect for the identity and culture of the Afro-descendant population, the marches demanded employment and other opportunities for inclusion.  According to the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socio-Economic Studies (Dieese), 70 percent of Brazilians who lost their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic were black (6.3 million workers out of a total of 8.9 million).

Press reports report significant participation in the marches held in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre (state of Rio Grande do Sul), Belém (Pará), Fortaleza (Ceará), Salvador (Bahia), João Pessoa (Paraíba) and Brasília (capital), among others. There were also mobilizations in the Portuguese city of Porto.

Heavy rain fell in Congonhas (Matto Grosso), in spite of which the demonstrators marched together with social and union organizations.  The marches showed the work of cultural groups of black communities, such as the Afro-descendant block Ilú Oba de Min, formed entirely by women, who participated in São Paulo.

They also denounced the genocide committed by Bolsonaro's Executive against the black population, which accuses him of having turned his back on them during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to data from the beginning of July from the LocalizaSUS platform, deaths from respiratory diseases during the pandemic increased 71 percent among black people and 24.5 percent among white people, while the former had received only 23 percent of the Covid-19 vaccines administered in Brazil up to that time.
 



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