Racist murder in Brazil: Little has changed in the 325 years since Zumbi's killing
In 2020, Black Awareness Day is marked by the brutal death of João Alberto Silveira Freitas, beaten by two security guards in a Carrefour store in Porto Alegre.
Manuella Libardi
20 November 2020
Demonstrators in defense of black lives, against racism, fascism and against the government of President Jair
Bolsonaro in São Paulo, June 7, 2020 | Marcelo Chello/Zuma Press/PA Images
In 1695, Zumbi – a warrior and leader of former Black slaves – was captured in his last hiding place between the mountains of Barriga and Dois Irmãos, in Northeastern Brazil. For a year and a half, he survived in the bush, fleeing the Bandeirantes – led by Domingo Jorge Velho – who destroyed Quilombo dos Palmares, the largest of colonial Brazil.
On November 20, Zumbi dos Palmares, 40, was decapitated by captain André Mendonça de Furtado and his displayed on a spike. Zumbi was tortured and killed for liberating himself from enslavement and protecting those who had done the same.
As a result of his violence and persecution, Domingo Jorge Velho received “a vast amount of land” to intensify the settlement of the region with the help of his associates. His "services" earned him the rank of "Master of the Field".
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In 2020, late on Thursday, on the eve of the holiday that celebrates the worth and contribution of Black people to the country, João Alberto Silveira Freitas was beaten to death by two security guards in a Carrefour store in Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul state, an event recorded by several cellphones and shared on social media. Like Zumbi, João Alberto Silveira Freitas was a 40-year-old Black man.
More:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/racist-murder-brazil-black-awareness-day-zumbi/
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Before brutal murder, oão Alberto Silveira Freitas.
O Globo Newspaper
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João Alberto Silveira Freitas, 40, was brutally beaten to death by two security guards at the exit of a Carrefour supermarket in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Videos circulating on social networks show him being grabbed by the back by one security guard and attacked by another with several punches to the head. Beto, as the victim was known, died on the spot before the help arrived. Carrefour spoke about João Alberto's death at dawn on Friday. He informed that the employees, hired by an outsourced company, were dismissed and 'upon learning of this inexplicable episode, we started a rigorous internal investigation'. The case draws even more attention because it happened on the eve of Black Awareness Day, and the video causes revolt on social networks.