Last Friday, March 8, the street vendors of Uruguaiana Street were prevented from working by the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Guard as part of criminalization of the working street vendors, As has been denounced by and . In response, the workers held a combative demonstration for the defense of their right to work, shaking the city center.
The demonstration began at Candelária, around 9:30 am, with dozens of workers, Brazilians and foreigners, who with bands and posters closed 3 lanes of President Vargas, the main road of downtown Rio de Janeiro, and demanded the end of Attempted eviction by the reactionary government of Eduardo Paes and Claudio Castro. During the act, the street vendors sang slogans like “ Releases the street vendor ”, “ Free the Uruguayan ” e “ We want to work ”.
After the act began, a large contingent of military police were sent to repress the street vendors by intimidating, vexatious magazines and filming of protesters, treating workers as criminals and curtailing their right to fight. Despite these actions by the state, the street vendors continued in a combative way occupying several streets of the city center, going from Presidente Vargas to Uruguaiana Street, closing the traffic of Avenida Passos, and then moved to the Nossa Senhora do Rosário church preventing the continuation of a work that is part of Eduardo Paes's eviction plan.
The correspondent of the and was present at the demonstration, making the coverage and reaping reports of the street vendors, who made several complaints about the neglect by the municipal and state government. One of the main complaints is that the government is making this eviction as a preparation for the G20, which will take place in November this year, receiving several representatives from imperialist countries, in this sense one of the street vendors said “will come G20, several diplomats in Rio de Janeiro , then they do that. ”
At the end of the demonstration, the street vendors reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle for the right to work, demonstrating that they will lead it to their rights.