Teachers denounce violence during eviction.

Weslei Radavelli
Daily Click - The operation to clear the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, following a movement by state school teachers, involved a brutal action by the Military Police. Forcibly removed from the Pedro Ernesto Palace, the seat of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, on Saturday night, the 28th, teachers and municipal school employees who had occupied the Pedro Ernesto Palace since Thursday are planning several legal actions against the Military Police and the State government. They accuse the security forces of brutality during the eviction, as tear gas and pepper spray were used in the action that resulted in the removal of approximately 150 people who were in the municipal legislature's plenary hall.

Four people were detained and released throughout the night. The Military Police officially deny that there was excessive use of force and claim that they acted within the law. However, the video posted online contradicts the police version.

"The worst part is that we are attacked and we can't call the police because it was the police who did it. The police are paid to defend citizens, not to attack them. What kind of police force is this? We see criminals running free in the favelas, and the police beat up working people. What kind of country are we in?", an indignant citizen reveals.

“The greatest cowardice was that we were arm in arm at the main entrance, already prepared to leave. We were simply questioning the legality of this action. This is another occupation, no less legitimate than the bus drivers' protest,” said a teacher.

Guided by lawyers from the State Union of Education Professionals (Sepe), which represents the municipal network of Rio, teachers injured during the eviction were instructed to go to Souza Aguiar Hospital to file a medical report.

The document can be used for a future forensic medical examination in cases against the State. At least 20 were taken to the hospital, all of whom were subsequently released.

The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Cabral (PMDB), criticized the occupation of the City Council by education professionals. “One thing is to have public participation, which is very important. Another is the occupation of the plenary hall of a public building in a way that is not how it should be done by those who want to participate in the debates. Democracy establishes rites that must be respected. I think that occupying the plenary hall of a legislative body is not the best way to follow the debate,” he said during the inauguration of the Police City complex in the northern zone of Rio.