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Study Finds 267 Political Violence Cases in Greater Rio Since 2022, One-Third Hate-Motivated

Researchers say weak local institutions enable election-period surges in political attacks.

Overview

  • The dataset tallies 267 incidents across the metro area from January 2022 to June 2025, with 89 classified as hate-motivated.
  • Politicians accounted for 59 aggressions, police for 58 and armed groups for 29, with most police repression of protests recorded in drug‑faction territories.
  • Violence intensified during campaigns, with one political killing every 22.5 days in election periods versus every 75.6 days outside and 71 cases logged between June and October 2024.
  • Attacks against Black people rose from 17 to 30 between 2022 and 2024, a trend researchers link to a rise in Black candidacies that reached 52.7% of candidates in 2024.
  • Twenty-nine cases carried suspected involvement of militias or trafficking factions, while Baixada Fluminense registered 65 politically motivated deaths over a decade and a recent jump in killings from five to twelve.