Brazil Protests: Death of Congo Refugee Sparks Nationwide Protests Against Racial Injustice

The death of a Congo refugee in Brazil sparked nationwide protests on Saturday. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and other Brazilian cities to protest the death of 24-year-old Moïse Mugenyi Kabagambe, who was beaten to death last month, Associated Press reported.

The protesters asserted that Kabagambe's death was evidence of xenophobia, racism, and impunity. According to Al Jazeera, the protests organized by Kabagambe's family were larger than what was expected, as different cities in Brazil engaged in the said demonstrations.

Brazil Protests: Brazilian Demonstrators Rally Over Death of Congo Refugee

In Rio, demonstrators gathered outside the beach kiosk where the Congo refugee died last month. Banners with images and photos of the victim were present in the said area. One of the banners brought by demonstrators read: "Justice for Moïse. Black Lives Matter! Stop killing us!"

Protester and lawyer Carla Lima said, "we are all here because we want Black people to be treated like humans." "Moïse could have been my son, my brother, my cousin," Lima noted, adding that the Congo native was "treated like an animal, like a thing, just because he was claiming two days of overdue wages, some $20."

A group of protesters in Rio also tore down the sign of the kiosk where Kabagambe was killed, even though organizers of the protest called for peace.

Apart from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, protests were also held in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Salvador, and Brasília.

In Sao Paolo, hundreds of people gathered on Paulista Avenue as protesters called for justice for the slain Black man.

Three Men Arrested Over Death of Congo Refugee in Brazil

The nationwide protests in Brazil came days after three men were arrested in connection with the death of the Congolese refugee, BBC reported.

Authorities did not identify the three men, but the police homicide department is investigating the case. Authorities noted that two of the men admitted to taking part in the beating of the Congo refugee on January 24.

Officials released footage showing that Moïse Mugenyi Kabagambe was repeatedly beaten by four men using clubs and a baseball bat.

According to the victim's relatives, the beating occurred after Kabagambe demanded his boss an equivalent of $38 for two days of work in the kiosk.

The video also showed a group of people, including one of the aggressors, trying to revive Kabagambe after the beating, but he remained lifeless on the ground.

Kabagambe's mother, Ivana Lay, said they fled Congo to run away from violence, but they still witnessed that in Brazil.

"I fled the DR Congo so we wouldn't be killed, but they killed my son here the same way they do in my country," Lay noted, adding that Kabagambe was punched and kicked "like an animal."

According to reports, the victim and his family moved to Brazil from Congo in 2011, as their home country was plagued with conflict due to fighting between Hema and Lendu ethnic groups.

Since 2000, Brazil's justice ministry revealed that more than 2,500 people from Congo were recognized as refugees in the country.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Murder of Congolese Refugee in Brazil Sparks Anti-Racism Protests - From Al Jazeera English