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Brazil Rio residents march for murdered councillor

HUGE banners covered iconic Rio landmarks and walls were spray-painted with “Fight like a Marielle” on Saturday morning before thousands marched to demand the truth over Marielle Franco’s murder.

The city councillor and human rights activist and her driver Anderson Pedro Gomes were gunned down on March 14, while returning from an event on empowering young black women.

Ms Franco had been critical of the military taking over policing in Rio.

“Our desire to continue her legacy, to fight and demand justice, only grows,” said her sister Anielle Franco, who joined the march from central Rio to the Estacio neighbourhood, where the two were killed.

Anielle Franco said protesters don’t just want to know “who killed her but also who the person was who ordered this crime.”

Rio state representative Marcelo Freixo called Ms Franco’s murder “a crime against democracy. It’s an attempt to silence a young black woman from the favelas who was in politics.”

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