At least 2.000 people protested in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday in the favela where Mariele Franco, a councilor killed Wednesday, was born to demand justice for the anti-racism and anti-police activist.
"Mariele's voice will not be silenced," repeated one of the leaders of the march through a megaphone.
Mariele Franco, a 38-year-old charismatic black activist and politician, surprised many when she was elected mayor in 2016 in the Brazilian metropolis.
She was returning from a rally in favor of black women when the car carrying her began being chased by another. After the chase, the perpetrators opened fire on the municipal councilor who was hit by several bullets, several in the head. Her driver was also killed and her assistant was injured.
The militant and municipal councilor came from the favela Mare, one of the most violent in the big city, in its northern part, not far from the international airport.
This gigantic slum, home to about 140.000 people, has been living in the rhythm of violence for years - exchanges of fire between drug-trafficking gangs or between criminals and law enforcement, who often intervene.
Sunday's demonstration, which showed fear and anger, was compounded by a series of similar demonstrations across Brazil following the assassination of Mariele, which shocked the public, all the more so because the crime was committed with ammunition belonging to police.
The Ministry of Public Security assured, however, that the bullets used in the execution of the politician had been stolen years before the police.
On Thursday, 50.000 people took to the streets in Rio de Janeiro, some 30.000 in Sao Paulo and tens of thousands more in various cities across the country.
A one-year-old boy, a man and a woman were killed by stray bullets on Friday during a shootout between police and drug traffickers in a favela in northern Rio de Janeiro.