Military
troops had to be deployed in the state of Espírito Santo after looting,
rape and murders broke out on Saturday amid the industrial action.
The
chaos has been compared to the 2014 thriller film The Purge, where
people take advantage of the absence of law and order to carry out
horrific crimes.
With officers staging
a walk-out over conditions and wages, thugs are running riot, with
people running rampant with guns and machetes, shops being robbed, buses
set on fire and dead bodies are left lying in the street.
Protests
by friends and family of military police officers in the coastal state
ignited the crime wave and forced the shutdown of state services such
as health centres and schools.
According to latest figures, there were 802 recorded murders in the state capital of Victoria in 2015.
The unprecedented surge in violence dwarfs the figures of the entire state, which has a population of 3.9million.
In 2012, the latest available figures, there were just over five reported homicides a day state-wide.
Since the strikes, the figure in Victoria alone is more than 17.
At the request of the state government, federal troops began arriving Monday night to help patrol the streets.
The
protests calling for higher pay began this weekend outside military
police barracks across the small, coastal state and have prevented
vehicles from leaving.
That has left
the military police virtually unable to patrol, though a few foot
patrols began Monday, the Department of Public Security said.
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A man observes the broken window of his car, caused by a gunshot after gang attacks in Vitoria
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Civil police detain looters after they were shot in their legs, in Vitoria, Espirito Santo state, Brazil,
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A bus burns violently after it was torched on the street during the chaos in Brazil
Harrowing scenes were reported from all around the state, and one resident told
Political Outsource: 'The thugs are randomly shooting at anyone who passes the street in Espírito Santo. My God what is happening.'
Schools
have been closed and even football matches cancelled in the affected
areas due to the lack of security, which has meant many people are
refusing to even venture outdoors.
'I won't even leave my house today,' one Brazilian resident in Espirato Santo told Political Outsource.
'Things
are absolutely crazy, there are people running around with guns in
pretty populated areas, dozens of people stealing from malls, even dead
bodies on streets.'
In the state
capital of Vitoria, store windows were smashed and metal shutters used
to protect shops peeled away as looters took advantage of the vacuum in
law enforcement.
Civil police used force to stop some thieves, shooting at least one man in the leg.
Defense Minister Raul Jungmann traveled to the state Monday evening and 150 soldiers were already on duty.
In all, 1,000 members of the armed forces and 200 members of the national guard were being sent to reinforce police.
The commander of the military police in the state has also been replaced.
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Members of the Brazilian army patrol the streets of Vitoria after they were called in to help protect the public
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Looters plunder an electronic store as they make the most of the lawlessness in the city of Vitoria
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A man lies face-down in the street surrounded by five armed military officers who have been called in to restore order
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A paramedic attends to a man who is left on his back in the riots in Espírito Santo
The protests come as Brazil grapples with a deep, protracted recession and many states struggle financially.
In
Rio de Janeiro state, where the government is desperately trying to
plug a huge deficit, public servants have repeatedly protested over late
pay, sometimes clashing violently with police.
The
protests in Espirito Santo have 'paralyzed the military police service,
not just in the capital but also in the entire state,' the state's head
of public security, Andre Garcia, told reporters.
He said there had been a marked increase in crime since the protests began.
Later,
he told the defense minister that there had been 37 homicides from
Sunday to Monday, though that figure has since climbed to 52, according
to local media.
'Movements of this nature, they hold society hostage,' Garcia said.
Because
of security concerns, officials in Vitoria suspended most services
Monday, though emergency services were being maintained with help from
the municipal security force.
The city closed schools, parks and health centres.
The
closure of health services meant there could be no vaccinations for
yellow fever in the city, even as Brazil experiences its worst outbreak
of the disease since 2000.
Espirito Santo has seen 14 confirmed cases in the current outbreak, and dozens more are under investigation.
A court ordered the protesters to end their blockade, but the demonstrations outside barracks continued.
Because of their crucial role, members of the military police are not allowed to engage in strikes.
But
Garcia, the head of public security, implied that officers were behind
the movement, which he called 'supposedly spontaneous.'
Major
Rogerio Fernandes Lima, a union representative, denied to reporters
that military police had organized the protests but said the officers
supported the goals, namely higher pay.
He said officers in the state are among the worst paid in Brazil.
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Members of the Brazilian army patrol the streets of Vitoria at night as people attempt to go about their usual routines
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Some stores have resorted to hiring their own private security guards to stand outside and stop potential looters
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Relatives of police officers camp at
the entrance of police headquarters to block the main entrance, during a
police strike over wages
The defence ministry said soldiers were being sent in 'due to the serious public safety situation'.
Brazil's Defence Minister Raul Jungmann visited Vitoria yesterday on a fact-finding mission.
Police officers have been blockading police stations in protest against unpaid salaries since Saturday.
The
acting governor of Espirito Santo state, Cesar Colnago, had earlier
begged President Michel Temer 'to send the National Force and the army
to safeguard the security of citizens'.
State
security chief Andre Garcia said the police chief had been replaced and
the new commander had been tasked with 'restoring order and
discipline'.
Talks are to take place with the disgruntled officers but they have been told they have to go back to work first.
Vitoria and its suburbs have a population of 1.8 million people, while a total of 3.9 million live in Espirito Santo state.
State Secretary of Public Security André Garcia told
Globo:
'The first step taken by the government to overthrow this movement was
the filing of a lawsuit requiring the illegality of the movement to be
enacted.
'Our
intention is to negotiate, always, but this negotiation must be based
on mutual respect, and the condition for the police come to patrol the
streets and answer the calls of the Capixabas citizens.'
The government has threatened to file a lawsuit against the force, claiming the strike is illegal.
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A man is left bloody and battered amid the chaos caused by the military police strike
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Thugs break into a shop and can be seen running out of the door with a handful of goods
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Dramatic
footage from the Purge-like chaos during which one person was shot
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The chaos has been captured on camera by a number of worried residents as well as the thugs
2 comments:
Somehow doubt this is what brazil wanted
Brazil showed the entire world what a 3rd rate SHITHOLE IT IS during the summer Olympics.
They DESERVE all the murders, rapes, slavery and drugs they get.
A NUKE or 10 on the entire nation of Brazil would be merciful!
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