RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The opening of Carnival 2020 in Rio de Janeiro ended with records of 28 arrests in the act for drug trafficking, theft and assault crimes.
The numbers were released on Monday, January 13th, by the State Civil Police Secretariat (SEPOL), based on reports by the police precincts (5th DP, 12th DP, 19th DP, and DEAT) involved in the event’s security scheme.
The Civil Police also reported that an arrest warrant and two warrants for search and seizure of minors were served. Also, according to the SEPOL, from noon to midnight 85 occurrences took place related to crimes that occurred during the event. There are records of cell phone and wallet thefts according to reports on social media.
The State Police Secretary of State also reported the injury of a state police officer who was struck on the head by a bottle hurled by people on the scene. The officer was rushed to the Rocha Maia Municipal Hospital, received medical attention and was discharged.
According to the Tourism Company of the City of Rio’s (Riotur) assessment, the election of king momo, queen and princesses of the Royal Court, and the performance of the Favorita Block show as well as of other artists such as singers Sandra de Sá, Preta Gil and Tony Garrido, gathered 300,000 people in Copacabana Beach, south zone of the city, on Sunday, January 12th.
Municipal Guard
Given the commotion surrounding the aftermath of the event, the State police worked in support of the municipal guards. In a statement, the Municipal Guard reported that during the crowd dispersion, “a team was attacked by pedestrians and revelers, who hurled glass bottles, rocks, and other objects when the officers were working to clear the road”.
According to the Municipal Guard, an agent was lightly injured and the team needed to use equipment with less offensive potential to contain the riot in the vicinity of the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel. The special operation for the Opening of the 2020 Carnaval included 231 agents, acting in patrolling and traffic control and inspection actions.
Videos
The turmoil, which began in the aftermath of the show on the beach, spread through the streets of the neighborhood. Videos published on social media show a crowd running along the shore trying to escape the effect of the tear gas bombs and many people fleeing between cars on the nearby streets that had the traffic cleared.
MPRJ
Also in a statement, the Rio de Janeiro State Prosecutor’s Office (MPRJ) said it had been denied, by two courts, the petition to suspend the performance of the Favorita Bloc, submitted by the 1st Prosecutor’s Office for the Collective Defense of Citizenship of the Capital. At the event, in addition to the musical performances, the election of King Momo, the queen and the princesses of Carnaval took place.
According to the MPRJ, one of the requests was made the day before the performance and the appeal lodged on the same day was not accepted. On Friday, January 10th, it was the 9th Public Treasury Court that denied the petition for suspension lodged by the prosecutor in a public civil action against the Municipality, the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Tourism Company of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro S.A. (RIOTUR) and the Baile da Favorita Eventos Ltda.
“The widespread turmoil that took over the Atlântica Avenue in the flow of visitors had been highlighted by the MPRJ in the initial petition and the appeal, in which the prosecutor’s office discussed several potential problems,” the MPRJ pointed out in the note.
According to prosecutors, the displacement of crowds to residential neighborhoods without the proper flow protocols for attendees, which depend, for instance, on the availability of public transportation, coupled with the absence of appropriate restroom facilities, among other factors, aggravates the mood and increases the degree of danger to public safety.
“It may even lead to an increased risk of police incidents, accidents and other occurrences, which may even get out of hand, particularly due to the absence of barrier mechanisms, drains, and other preliminary protocols,” it noted.
In November last year, during the celebrations with the return of the Flamengo team after winning the Libertadores Cup, a riot during the dispersion of the players’ parade in a sound car caused injuries to some of the people on site.
That day, tear gas bombs were also used. A municipal guard was even run over by a corporation vehicle that was fleeing when struck by rocks.
Trash
In addition to the turmoil, the event generated a huge amount of garbage. The COMLURB collected 48.7 tons of waste after the event. The special operation counted on 242 garbage collectors and 38 urban cleaning agents divided into shifts. The garbage collectors worked all along the waterfront, on the lane next to the bike path, the central construction site, and the track and sidewalk of buildings.
50 days of carnaval
With its inauguration in January, Riotur prepared the planning for 50 days of Carnaval in the city. The election of the so-called “royal court” — King Momo Djeferson Mendes da Silva, Queen Camila Aparecida da Silva and Princesses Deisiane de Jesus and Cinthia Aparecida Martins de Oliveira — was held forthe first time in public. The president of Riotur, Marcelo Alves, presented the newly crowned King Momo the traditional key to the city.