“Protests erupt in Brazil after black man dies after being beaten outside supermarket

João Alberto Silveira Freitas was allegedly attacked by security guards at a Carrefour store in Porto Alegre”, 21 November 2020 

A black man who died after being beaten by supermarket security guards in the city of Porto Alegre on the eve of Black Consciousness Day has sparked outrage across Brazil after videos of the incident circulated on social media.

Footage showed João Alberto Silveira Freitas being punched in the face just outside the doors of a Carrefour supermarket…

Dozens of protesters entered a Carrefour in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia…chanting “Black lives matter!” …Inside another Carrefour in Rio de Janeiro, protesters shouted “Carrefour Killer!”…In Sao Paulo, protesters smashed the front window of a Carrefour, scattered goods from shelves all over the store’s floor and set a fire…

Carrefour released a statement lamenting Freitas’ “brutal death”, and said it would end its contract with the security company, fire the store manager who was on duty, and close the Porto Alegre store out of respect for the victim.

The two men who allegedly beat Freitas have been detained and are being investigated for homicide due to the victim’s asphyxiation and his inability to defend himself…

Black Consciousness Day is observed as a holiday in many parts of Brazil...