The Candelária massacre ( pt, chacina da Candelária ) was a

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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 ...

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, 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

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and were tried for the killings, but only two were

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Background

The Candelária Church is a famous historic

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church in central

. 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

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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

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cars with covered

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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

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, 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
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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.

References

External links

Movie review and director interviewAmnesty 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