Brazil: “We Are All Pinheirinho” Spreads Around the World

[All the links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted.]

Brazilians all over the world, as well as citizens from different countries, have mobilized online and organized protests in various cities like Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Buenos Aires, among others, in support of the community of Pinheirinho. The settlement was recently evicted with extreme violence by the Military Police of São Paulo and the Civil Guard in the city of Sao Jose dos Campos, in what became known as the “Massacre of Pinheirinho.”

Teacher Lúcio Flávio de Almeida comments:

Os lutadores e lutadoras do Pinheirinho foram desalojados e vivem uma situação muito difícil, extremamente difícil. No entanto, sua luta, que é nossa luta, continua. Sob certos aspectos, cresce e deve crescer ainda mais.

The fighters of Pinheirinho were displaced and are facing a very difficult situation, extremely difficult. However, their struggle, which is our struggle, continues. In some ways, grows and should grow even more.

The citizens were organized under the motto “We are all Pinheirinho” on Facebook, in blogs and on the streets. The movement, in a letter released by the blog Vi o Mundo, explains:

Pessoas em várias cidades do mundo estão agindo em rede para mostrar sua indignação pelos acontencimentos no Brasil. São brasileiros e pessoas de várias nacionalidades buscando pressionar para que a situação das famílias em Pinheirinho não caia no esquecimento facilmente.

People in many cities around the world are acting as a network to show their indignation by the events in Brazil. They are Brazilians and people of various nationalities seeking to push for the situation of families in Pinheirinho not to be forgotten easily.

Activist Erick Cristiano produced a video with pictures of various events around the world and posted it on YouTube:

“Eu sou do país dos Pinheirinhenses” (I am of the country of the Pinheirinese) is the motto of a group of activists who put out the Tumblr “What is your country?”, which now has dozens of videos of people declaring their solidarity with the people expelled from Pinheirinho like the following uploaded by user engenhoso:

On January 27, a group of Brazilians protested in front of the Brazilian Embassy in Madrid, capital of Spain, with a great banner and a flag of Brazil.

"Solidarity with Pinheirinho. Brazilians in Madrid". Protest in Madrid. Photo by Fábio TQrz, used with permission

The group also released a letter of complaint, in Portuguese and Spanish, questioning the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, and Minister of the Special Secretariat of Human Rights, Maria do Rosário, requesting action regarding the homeless of Pinheirinho.

Protesters talk to the secretary of the embassy after the ambassador refused to receive them. Photo by Fábio TQrz, used with permission

With banners and flags, Brazilians who live in Lisbon, Portugal, protested in front of the Brazilian Consulate in the country on February 2, and walked through the center of Lisbon, but not before delivering a manifesto to the consul, who declared that the government had already announced its position in relation to what happened in Pinheirinho.

Protest in Lisbon. Photo by Soraya Barret, used with permission

On January 31, with temperatures below minus 10 degrees celsius, Brazilians protested in Berlin with a giant banner that read “Wir Sind alle Pinheirinho” and another calling for an end of social hygiene policy in Sao Paulo. The group released [de] a manifesto on the Internet in German. It was also released a video of the demonstration in Berlin.

"We are all Pinheirinho". Photo by Christian Russau, used with permission

"São Paulo: Stop the politics of sanitation". Photo by Christian Russau, used with permission

About 50 Brazilians demonstrated in Paris, capital of France, with several banners in French and Portuguese, on February 4, also in front of the Brazilian Embassy in the country. The French police, however, did not allow the act to last long, driving the protesters of the place, claiming it would be forbidden to take pictures near the embassy. A small group stood in a square nearby.

Protest in Paris. Photo by Dudas Bastos, used with permission

A Facebook group was created where one can read in French, a manifesto in solidarity with Pinheirinho. Daniel Ybarra, on Facebook, announced that the letter sent by the group to the Brazilian Embassy would be sent to the Brazilian government.

Protest in Paris. Photo by Maite Weill, used with permission

Another protest was also held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where at least 30 people engaged in the march from the “Obelisco”, singing all the way.

Protest in Buenos Aires. Photo by Victoria Vajda, used with permission

In Santiago, Chile, at least 20 people concentrated in the Plaza de Los Heroes, where the embassy of Brazil is located. The protest also gathered some Chileans.

In Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, a demonstration took place on January 31 and in Curitiba, a banner of protest was exposed during a football game of the Paranaense Championship.

Photo by Rodrigo Tomazini, used with permission

Filmmaker Pedro Rios Leão ended his hunger strike after 11 days. The activist Alysson Bordi joined him but had to suspend the strike after being referred for medical care in a health clinic on February 7. The activist, however, wrote a manifesto in which he gives the reasons for the end of the strike and asks for support for the cause.

On Sunday the municipal guard of the city of Rio de Janeiro tried to remove the strikers and other activists who were with Pedro:

Pessoal, ontem a guarda municipal gentilmente atendeu a pedidos e chegou para nos remover. Depois de puxar cacetete, ameaçar muito nos agredir, resolveram só nos deixar ao relento. […] Na confusão perdi meu celular e algumas outras coisas. O acampamento ficou desbaratado e os ânimos devastados. No sol, e no pior ponto da greve, eu comecei a passar muito mal.

Guys, yesterday the municipal guard kindly responded to requests to come in and remove us. After pulling clubs and threatening to beat us, they decided to just leave us in the open. In the confusion I lost my phone and some other things. The camp was in disarray and devastated souls. In the sun, and the worst point of the strike, I started to feel ill.

Firefighters and military police officers on the eve of going on strike in the city supported the hunger strike of Pedro, that completed 11 days on Wednesday, February 8, when it came to an end:

11 dias sem sentir gosto nenhum, 12 quilos a menos no meu corpo. Espero que sirva para alguma coisa. Não peço desculpas pelo transtorno. Isso foi só uma tentativa.

11 days now without feeling any taste, 12 kilos less on my body. I hope that works for something. I do not apologize for the inconvenience. That was just an attempt.

Activists support the hunger strike of Pedro Leão. Photo by Pedro Leão, free use.

On February 2, a great act took more than 5,000 people to the streets of São José dos Campos to protest and show solidarity with the residents of Pinheirinho.

Meanwhile, fundraising campaigns are oganized and it is immense the pressure on politicians to take a stand in relation to the disproportionate violence and on the help the evicted families need.