Political violence in Baixada Fluminense: political power and power to kill

Marinho, Leandro; Rodrigues, André

doi:10.1590/2236-9996.2024-6164806-en

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Original article • Cad. Metropole 26 (61) • Sep-Dec 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2236-9996.2024-6164806-en copy

Political violence in Baixada Fluminense: political power and power to kill^* * This paper is the result of research that has been developed since 2021 from a partnership between Observatório de Favelas, the Laboratório de Estudos sobre Política and Violência from the Federal Fluminense University (Lepov-UFF), the Laboratório de Análises da Violência from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (LAV-UERJ), and Witwatersrand University (WITs). They participated in the research, just as much in the activities of data collection as much as in the analyses presented here, a set of researchers to whom credit should also be given on the material presented here: Raquel Willadino, Elizabete Albernaz, Thais Gomes, João Trajano Sento-Sé, Andrés Del Rio, Daniel Octaviano, Isabele dos Anjos, José Mauro Pompeu, Paloma Oliveira, Junya Vicente Ferreira, and Laís Almeida.

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

This article analyzes violence against political actors in Baixada Fluminense, a region comprising 13 municipalities located in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro. The central hypothesis of this study is that violence, especially lethal violence, constitutes a central instrument for the organization of power relations and delimitation of areas of control and political influence in Baixada Fluminense. A related hypothesis suggests that, based on the victims’ profile, political violence in Baixada is exercised within and between political elites connected with armed groups, notably militias.

Baixada Fluminense; politics; power to kill; violence; militias

Types of political involvement	Number of victims
Candidate for councilmen	14
Councilmen	13
Parlament Advisor	8
Ex-Municial Secretary	5
Substitute Councilman	5
Ex-candidate for councilman	4
Campaign Trail	3
Candidate for State deputy	3
Ex-councilman	3
Municipal Secretary	3
Union Member/Union	3
Indirect Victim with no political role	3
Political Space	3
Municipal Public Manager	2
Political Supporter	2
Candidate for Federal Deputy	2
State Deputy	2
Mayor	2
Security	2
Political Activist	1
Blogger and Administrator of news sites	1
Body Guard	1
Ex-candidate for Federal Deputy	1
Ex-candidate for mayor	1
Ex-mayor	1
Family member of the candidate for councilman	1
Prosecutor of the Municipal Chamber	1
Municipal Undersecretary	1
Municipal Executive Secretary	1
Total	92

Occupation	Number of victims
No information	25
Merchant	10
Military Police	8
Business owner	7
Other	4
Deputy	3
Not applicable	3
Professor	3
Security guard	3
Parliamentary advisor	2
Doctor	2
Reformed Military Police	2
Councilman	2
Ex-Military Police	2
Public Administrator	2
Administrator	1
Administrative agent	1
Traffic agent	1
Blogger	1
Shopkeeper	1
School Principal	1
Student	1
Ex-civil Police	1
Government employee	2
Firearms instrutor	1
Journalist	1
Metal structure assembler	1
City Council Prosecutor	1
Total	92

Type of officer	Number of officers
Military police officer	30
Ex-Military police officer	6
Civil police officer	1
Ex-Civil police officer	1
Federal police officer	1
Total	39

Type of violence	Types of armed violence
Type of violence	Militia	Faction	Militia and Faction	NA*	NI*
Execution	26	7	0	0	20
Larceny	1	0	0	0	2
Kidnapping and Execution	0	2	0	0	0
Attack against human life	6	4	0	0	4
Threat	0	0	0	8	0
Attack	1	0	0	0	0
Physical Aggression	0	0	2	0	3
Attack on the Campaign Trail	0	0	2	0	0
Depredation of political space	0	1	0	0	1
Invasion of political space	0	0	0	0	1
Gunshot wound	0	0	0	0	1
Subtotal	34	14	4	8	32
Total	92

Types of violence	Armed group suspected of involvement
Types of violence	Militia	Faction	No Information	NA
Execution	23	5	25	0
Larceny	1	0	2	0
Kidnapping and execution	0	2	0	0
Attack against human life	1	4	9	0
Threat	0	1	5	2
Attack	0	0	1	0
Physical aggression	0	0	2	3
Attack on the campaign trail	0	0	2	0
Depredation of political space	0	0	1	1
Invasion of political space	0	0	1	0
Gunshot wound	0	0	1	0
Subtotal	25	12	49	6
Total	92

Year	Types of violence	Number of cases
2021	Attack on human life	6
	Threat	4
	Attack	1
	Depredatioin of political space gunshot injury	1
	Invasion of political space	1
	Subtotal 2021	14
2022	Attack on human life	6
	Threat	4
	Attack on the campaign trail	2
	Physical aggression	2
	Subtotal 2022	14
2023	Physical Aggression	3
	Attack on human life	2
	Depredation of political space	1
	Subtotal 2023 (until June)	6
	Total	34

Sex	Number of victims
Men	77
Women	14
N/A (not applicable)	1*
Total	92

Color/race	Number of victims
White	51
Black	27
No Information	13
N/A (not applicable)	1*
Total	92

Age range	Number of victims
20-29	6
30-39	18
40-49	26
50-59	19
60-69	2
70-79	1
No information	17
N/A	3*
Total	92

Political party	Number of victims
MDB	6
PSDB	4
AVANTE	3
DEM	3
PTC	3
PCdoB	2
PDT	2
PL	2
PP	2
PROS	2
PSB	2
PSL	2
Solidariedade (Solidarity)	2
PHS	1
PMB	1
PMN	1
PRB	1
PRTB	1
PT do B	1
PTB	1
PV	1
REDE	1
Republicanos (Republicans)	1
SD	1
UNIÃO	1
no political party affiliation	1
Total number of valid cases	48

Occupation	Number of victims
Business person (merchants and local business owners)	17
Police and ex-police (military and civil)	13
Civil servants (administrators, assessors, and career civil servants)	8
Politicians in office (deputies and councilmen)	5
Other occupations	49
Total	92

Large occupation group	Number of assassination victims	Number of victims of attacks against human life
Police and ex-police	9	3
Business owners	14	2
Government Employee	5	1
Politicians	2	2
Total	30	8

Means employed in the aggression	Number of cases
Firearm	75
Physical Aggression	7
Cell phone messages	3
Social Media	2
Verbal	2
letter	1
White paint	1
No information	1
Total	92

Type of officer	Militia	No Information	Total
Military police officer	18	12	30
Ex-Military police officer	5	1	6
Civil police	0	1	1
Ex-Civil police officer	1	0	1
Federal police officer	0	1	1
Total	24	15	39

Municipality of the incident	Type of political violence											Total
Municipality of the incident	Execution	Attack against human life	Larceny	Kidnapping	Threat	Physical agression	Attack	Gunshot injury	Attack on the campaigntrail	Invasion of political space	Depredation of political space	Total
Duque de Caxias	10	6	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	1	21
Nova Iguaçu	11	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16
Magé	7	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	10
Nilópolis	5	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	9
Belford Roxo	1	0	0	1	3	2	0	0	2	-	0	9
Seropédica	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
S. J. de Meriti	4	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
Itaguaí	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Queimados	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Japeri	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Guapimirim	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Mesquita	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Paracambi	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Total	53	14	3	2	8	5	1	1	2	1	2	92

Armed group suspected of involvement	Group that controls or has influence in the region
Armed group suspected of involvement	Militia	Faction	Militia and drug traffickers	Not identified	NA
Militia	21	0	0	4	0
Faction	0	11	0	0	1
No Information	13	3	4	24	5
N/A	0	0	0	4	2
Subtotal	34	14	4	32	8
Total	92


Set 1 - Action	“gunshot” OR “gunshots” OR “dead man” OR “dead woman” OR “homicide” OR “execution” OR “executed woman” OR “executed man” OR “attack” OR “assassination” OR “assassinated man” OR “assassinated woman” OR “aggression” OR “aggressions” OR “physical aggression” OR “stabbing” OR “punch” OR “kick” OR “frontkick” OR “stalking” OR “kidnapping” OR “threat” OR “extortion” OR “blackmail” OR “defamation” OR “swearing” OR “insult” OR “harm” OR “racism” OR “homophobia” OR “misogyny” OR “machismo (chauvinism)”;
Set II – Profile	“man candidate” OR “female candidate” OR “councilman” OR “councilwoman” OR “male mayor” OR “female mayor” OR “male deputy” OR “female deputy” OR “male senator” OR “female senator” OR “male politician” OR “female politician” OR “administrator” OR “advisor” OR “canvasser” OR “activist” OR “political leader”;
Set III – Location	“Queimados” OR “Japeri” OR “São João de Meriti” OR “Magé” OR “Nova Iguaçu” OR “Nilópolis” OR “Paracambi” OR “Mesquita” OR “Guapimirim” OR “Belford Roxo” OR “Itaguaí” OR “Seropédica” OR “Duque de Caxias”.

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[1] Translation: this article was translated from Portuguese into English by Warren Moore Jr., email: rioenglishexperience@gmail.com