The Candelária massacre ( pt, chacina da Candelária ) was a
mass killing
Mass killing is a concept which has been proposed by genocide scholars who wish to define incidents of non-combat killing which are perpetrated by a government or a state. A mass killing is commonly defined as the killing of group members withou ...
in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, on July 23, 1993. During the night, eight
homeless people
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
, including six minors, were killed by a group of men beside the
Candelária Church. Several of the men were members of the
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
and were tried for the killings, but only two were
convicted
In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is co ...
.
Background
The
Candelária Church is a famous historic
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
church in central
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The church itself and the buildings around it in Pius X Square became known as a popular location for possibly hundreds of Rio de Janeiro's
street children to form a makeshift home at night. The church's personnel provides food, shelter, education and religious advice to as many of these children as possible. Many of the homeless children are involved with the
illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs throug ...
and
prostitution, and because many of these children also live around the church during the day, police keep a constant watch on the church's surroundings. In the early 1990s, the area around the Candelária Church developed a high crime rate as street children increasingly began to commit criminal activities such as
pickpocketing and
robbery.
Massacre
According to survivors, on the morning of July 22, 1993, the day before the massacre, a group of children threw stones at police cars. As the children from the Candelária Church area were usually only given warnings by policemen, the young perpetrators left without worrying too much about the threat. At midnight, several
Chevrolet Chevette
The Chevrolet Chevette is a front-engine, rear-drive subcompact manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet for model years 1976–1987 as a three-door or five-door hatchback. Introduced in September 1975, the Chevette superseded the Vega as Chev ...
cars with covered
license plates
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificat ...
came to a halt in front of the Candelária Church, and the occupants began shooting at the group of roughly seventy street children sleeping in the vicinity of the church.
List of those killed
*Paulo Roberto de Oliveira, 11 years old
*Anderson de Oliveira Pereira, 13 years old
*Marcelo Cândido de Jesus, 14 years old
*Valdevino Miguel de Almeida, 14 years old
*"Gambazinho", 17 years old
*Leandro Santos da Conceição, 17 years old
*Paulo José da Silva, 18 years old
*Marcos Antônio Alves da Silva, 20 years old
Aftermath
Six children and two adults were killed and numerous others were wounded outside the Candelária Church. Subsequently, during the investigations the shots were found to be fired by policemen, and fifty officers were accused of the
massacre
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
. One of them, Mauricio da Conceição, died during a shootout as he was about to be arrested in 1994. Two others, Marcos Emmanuel and Nelson Cunha, were handed sentences equivalent to
life sentences
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes ...
.
One of the children that survived that attack was supposedly shot several times before he could testify against policemen that were to go to
trial
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...
, and ended up fleeing from Brazil in order to save his life.
The
international community severely condemned the attack, and many in Brazil asked for the prosecution of those who shot the Candelária Church children.
The event was addressed by the Brazilian death metal band Lacerated and Carbonized in the song "The Candelária Massacre" from their 2013 album ''The Core of Disruption''.
Blaggers ITA
Blaggers ITA (formerly The Blaggers) were a British punk rock band founded in 1988. Main vocalist Matty 'Blagg' Roberts had previously fronted Oi! band Complete Control, who released an LP on ''Oi! Records'' in 1985 Blaggers ITA were noted for ...
did the same in their 1993 single "Oxygen"
Blaggers ITA - Oxygen
/ref>
Survivors
A social worker who later tracked the fate of these homeless survivors of the Candelária massacre found out that eventually 39 of them were either killed by police or by elements of street life, and discusses this in the documentary ''Bus 174
''Bus 174'' ( pt, Ônibus 174) is a 2002 Brazilian documentary film. It is the directorial debut of director José Padilha and co-director Felipe Lacerda.
Overview
In 2000, Sandro do Nascimento, a young man from a poor background, held passe ...
'' about the Nascimento incident.
See also
*List of massacres in Brazil
The following is a list of massacres that have occurred in Brazil (numbers may be approximate):
References
{{Massacres
Lists of massacres by country, Brazil
Brazil culture-related lists, Massacres
Massacres in Brazil, *
Brazil history-r ...
References
External links
Movie review and director interview
Amnesty International report and information
* ttp://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9612/09/brazil.street.kids/ ''Trial begins for Rio police accused of killing homeless kids'', CNN.com, December 9, 1996br>''Killing of 4 Beggars Shocks Rio And Recalls Earlier Massacre'', New York Times, December 12, 1997
{{DEFAULTSORT:Candelaria massacre
Police brutality in Brazil
1993 in Brazil
20th century in Rio de Janeiro
Mass murder in 1993
Massacres in 1993
July 1993 events in South America
July 1993 crimes
Mass shootings in Brazil
Massacres in Brazil
Massacres in religious buildings and structures
Street children
1993 murders in Brazil
1993 mass shootings in South America