Weekly Report - 10 October 2013 (WR-13-40)

In a familiar turn of events, a mass demonstration by Rio de Janeiro’s teachers turned violent on 7 October. Tens of thousands attended the afternoon event in the city centre, a week after the military police were accused of brutality in their handling of the teachers’ demonstration against the city council’s approval of the mayor’s education policies. In the evening, a few hundred ‘black bloc’ activists took advantage of the more cautious police response to attack buildings. Over 20 bank branches were destroyed, a bus burnt out and the council building attacked. Police responded with tear gas and smoke bombs. A similar protest in São Paulo, called in solidarity with Rio’s teachers, also turned violent.