Death Toll in Brazilian Police Raid Rises to 119, Drawing Criticism of Excessive Force

Massacre in the favela: Rio’s police take on the gangs

“In Rio de Janeiro, the term ‘public safety’ has become synonymous with ‘public massacre’,” said Tom Farias in Folha de S. Paulo.On 29 October, a square in the Penha neighbourhood was turned into an open-air morgue – following the deadliest police raid in our country’s history, in which some 2,500 officers swept their way through one of the city’s dirt-poor favelas, killing more than 132 suspected gang members in a so-called “defence operation”.…

The Making of the Penha Massacre

On October 28, Rio de Janeiro’s police besieged the Penha favela for 15 hours, killing at least 121 people in the city’s worst massacre. Brazil’s right is hailing it as an anti-crime victory while overlooking their own links to violent gangs.

Brazil's president calls for investigation after 121 killed in police operation against gang: "There was a massacre"

The raid against the Red Command drug trafficking gang saw thousands of officers battle heavily armed men who dropped explosives on police from drones.

After the gunfire: How Rio’s deadliest police raid exploded into a political battlefield

While Rio Governor hailed the operation as a victory against crime, hundreds of favela residents have marched through the alleys, carrying photos of the dead and chanting, ‘It wasn’t a war, it was a massacre’; Lula’s allies see the raid as an attempt to shift the spotlight to his alleged softness on crime

Brazil: Death Toll from Gang War in Rio de Janeiro Rises To 121

Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police on early Thursday morning updated the official death toll of Tuesday's massive police raid against the deadly Comando Vermelho (“Red Command”) drug-trafficking gang from an initial 64 to 121. The post Brazil: Death Toll from Gang War in Rio de Janeiro Rises To 121 appeared first on Breitbart.