Violence erupts in Rio slum near Olympic venues
Officers of the Police Pacification Unit patrol next to a burning barricade during clashes at the Pavao Pavaozinho slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, April 22, 2014.Violence erupted in a Rio de Janeiro favela as angry residents set fires and showered a busy avenue in the city\’s main tourist area with homemade explosives and glass bottles following the death of a 25-year-old man.
The violence broke out in the Brazilian\’s city\’s Pavao-Pavaozinho favela, perched in the hills overlooking the famed Copacabana oceanside tourist attraction. Residents set fires throughout the neighborhood and threw bottles on the streets, forcing police to shut down traffic heading into Copacabana. The violence also pilled over into nearby Ipanema, another Rio tourist attraction.
Local news outlets say at least one person was killed in Tuesday\’s violence.
The rioting was sparked after word spread that the body of Douglas Rafael da Silva Pereira, a dancer on Brazil\’s Globo television network, had been discovered in the favela. Residents blame the 25-year-old\’s death on police, who have launched a "pacification" effort to rid Rio\’s slums of notorious drug gangs as the city prepares to host the World Cup in June and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Rio de Janeiro has been plagued by protests over the last several months by residents who have accused the government of neglecting public services such as transportation, health care and education, in favor of projects related to the upcoming World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
Source: Agencies
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