RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A demonstration in honor of those killed by the coronavirus was desecrated by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday, June 11th on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. The symbolic act was performed before dawn on Thursday by the NGO Rio da Paz, which planted 100 crosses in the sand to honor the people who died from Covid-19 in Brazil.
A man passed by the place and started knocking down the crosses while other demonstrators applauded the action and shouted “Brazil”. “Go plant crosses over in Venezuela,” said a demonstrator supporting the action. The incident was filmed and posted on social media.
Soon after, a man, who claimed to have lost his 25-year-old son to Covid-19, started re-erecting the crosses and demanded respect. “Respect the pain of others. My 25-year-old healthy son died. And there’s this clowning around. If they remove them, I’ll put them back.”
“The picture is gut-wrenching. The NGO Rio de Paz was protesting on Copacabana beach to symbolize the people killed by Covid in Brazil.
A man, who disagreed with the demonstration, knocked down the crosses.
A father who lost his son put everything back in its original place”
pic.twitter.com/LWAT0AeHnK
– Diego Sangermano (@disangermano) June 11th, 2020
A imagem é de embrulhar o estômago. A ONG Rio de Paz fazia um protesto nas areias de Copacabana para simbolizar as pessoas mortas por Covid no Brasil
Um homem, que não concordava com a manifestação, derrubou as cruzes.
Coube a um pai, que perdeu o filho, recolocar tudo no lugar pic.twitter.com/LWAT0AeHnK
— Diego Sangermano (@disangermano) June 11, 2020
In another video, on the Copacabana sidewalk, demonstrators shouted against the members of the NGO. “The people are united against this. You shits. Governors’ speech”.
pic.twitter.com/4IadDR6JPy
– riodepaz (@riodepaz) June 11th, 2020
— riodepaz (@riodepaz) June 11, 2020
Source: Carta Capital