The killing of a Rio city councillor has sparked mass protests across the country. But will her warnings be heeded?Political cynicism is rife in Brazil, for good reason. Years of scandal have left many regarding elected representatives en masse as corrupt, incompetent liars and democracy as broken. Murder is frequent in Rio de Janeiro. Yet tens of thousands have taken to the streets across the country to protest against the killing of Rio politician Marielle Franco and her driver, in what is widely regarded as an assassination.Franco, 38, was shot dead on Wednesday, only 18 months after her election to the city council. She was a black single mother from the favelas in a field dominated by privileged white men. Sceptics wondered if she could get elected, yet her tally of votes was the fifth highest of more than 50 councillors. In her short tenure she had become a beacon for progressive politics locally, on issues including LGBT and women´s rights and an outspoken critic of the aggressive, militarised policing of the favelas, where residents live under the brutal control of drug gangs, but are also terrorised by state violence. Continue reading...
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