Thousands of people took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Friday to demand justice and denounce police brutality following the so-called Containment Operation, a massive security raid in the favelas of Penha, Alemão, and other communities that left 121 people dead, most of them civilians.

The operation, the deadliest in modern Brazilian history, has sparked widespread political and social outrage. 

Despite heavy rain, relatives of the victims, residents, and social organizations marched from a soccer field in Vila Cruzeiro to Avenida Brasil, one of the city’s main thoroughfares. Demonstrators carried photos of the deceased and banners reading “Stop the genocide of Black and poor people.” 

The raid, carried out Tuesday by state and federal forces, targeted members of the Comando Vermelho criminal group. About 2,500 officers participated — from the Civil, Military, and National Police — making it one of the largest security operations in over a decade. 

The outcome was devastating: 121 people killed —117 civilians and 4 police officers— and dozens injured. As of Friday, 99 bodies had been identified, while 89 remained at the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Authorities said 78 of the dead had criminal records and 42 were wanted fugitives, but human rights groups disputed those claims, citing evidence of extrajudicial killings. 

Institutional violence in Brazil

The tragedy reignited debate over Brazil’s militarized approach to security in the favelas, long plagued by poverty and state neglect. “What happens in the favelas doesn’t happen in the rich South Zone. There are criminals there too, but the State doesn’t treat them like enemies,” said union leader Raimunda de Jesús. 

Among those marching were mothers of young men killed in previous raids. Liliane Santos Rodrigues, a resident of Complexo do Alemão, lost her 17-year-old son Gabriel six months ago. “It was shocking to see another boy die in the same place. I feel the pain of all these mothers,” she said. 

Other voices echoed her anguish. “No mother raises a child to see him die. I still bleed for my sons, but today I bleed for these 121 boys,” said Nádia Santos from Chapadão. 

Civil society groups demanded an independent investigation, involvement from the Public Defender’s Office, and new civilian oversight mechanisms over security forces. According to the Public Security Institute, more than 1,300 people have died in police actions in Rio so far in 2024. 

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed “deep concern” and called for transparency, while Rio’s governor, Cláudio Castro, defended the operation as “legitimate and necessary to weaken organized crime.” 

For the victims’ families, no justification suffices. “The police can’t fight crime by killing innocents. We want justice, not revenge,” said a spokesperson for the Mães de Manguinhos movement. 

Experts warn that the cycle of violence in the favelas cannot be broken through repression alone. “Without social investment, repression only fuels resentment,” said sociologist Paulo Ramos.