May Day: Remembering the street peddlers (by Latuff)

Around 7pm, street peddlers angered towards repressive actions from city guards, tried to close transit in downtown Niteroi (state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), next to ferry boat station, setting light to wood cases.

While I was taking pictures, street peddlers surrounded me and started to attack, taking my camera away. During all that mess, as almost a miracle, I took my camera back but they stole sunglasses, wrist watch and my drawing kit. The only damage in the camera was the strap, ripped.

State military police arrived and everything was finished. I did not see anybody arrested.

In spite of viollence I suffered from peddlers, I don't have any doubt that they are, in fact, VICTIMS of systematic harassment by city guards. Prefecture of Niteroi, as well as Rio de Janeiro, see as enemies of state that crowd of unemployed who try to survive being street peddlers.

In this May Day, let's remind those peddlers and repression they suffer day-by-day.

( More pics from this incident at http://uruguay.indymedia.org/news/2003/04/13238.php )