RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — Practitioners of different religious traditions marched on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana Beach on Sunday to show their support for religious freedom. in Brazilwhere the number of cases of intolerance has doubled in the past six years.
Hundreds of men, women and children from more than a dozen faiths participated in the event, known as the March for the Defense of Religious Freedom. Many of the participants were practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions who have recently faced attacks from members of Christian groups. Brazil’s recently appointed Minister of Human Rights, Macaé Evaristo, also participated in the march, which was in its 17th year.
“The great challenge today in our country is to reduce inequality,” Evaristo told state news agency Agencia Brasil. “So for me it is very important to be present at this march, because people here are also fighting for many things like decent work and a life without hunger.”
In the state of Rio de Janeiro, home to a quarter of the country’s adherents of Afro-Brazilian religions, there has been a strong increase in evangelical Christianity, particularly neo-Pentecostal churches founded since 1970 that focus on spreading their faith to non-believers.
According to experts, while the neo-Pentecostal movement’s work of conversion has been largely peaceful, the spread of the faith has been accompanied by a rise in intolerance toward traditional, African-influenced religions, ranging from verbal abuse and discrimination to the destruction of temples and forced evictions from neighborhoods.
“Everything that comes from black people, everything that comes from people of African descent, is devalued; if we are not steadfast in our faith, we will lose strength,” said Vania Vieira, a practitioner of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. “This walk is to show that we are standing, that we will survive.”
Although the Brazilian Constitution protects the free exercise of religion, cases of disrespect and attacks are becoming more frequent, especially against groups of African descent.
Between 2018 and 2023, the Brazilian government’s complaints department recorded a 140% increase in the number of complaints about religious intolerance in the country.
In Brazil, those who commit crimes of religious intolerance can face up to five years in prison, plus a fine.
