UN condemns killing of Black man at Brazil store

Demonstrators took to the streets of Porto Alegre on Monday to protest the death of a Black man who died after being beaten by supermarket security guards on the eve of Black Consciousness Day observations.

Security forces used tear gas as they attempted to disperse the crowd.

Monday night's protest in Porto Alegre, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, is part of ongoing street demonstrations that have taken place in different parts of Brazil following the death of João Alberto Silveira Freitas, a 40-year-old Black man and father of four.

A shot clip showed how a guard restrained him just outside the doors of a Carrefour supermarket while the other pummeled him with repeated blows to the face.

Other footage, shot afterward, showed a guard kneeling atop Freitas' back.

Carrefour has released a statement condemning Freitas' "brutal death," and said it will end its contract with the security company.

The men who beat Freitas have been detained and are being investigated for homicide due to the victim's asphyxiation and his inability to defend himself, authorities have said.

One of the men was a temporary military police officer who was off-duty.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called the killing of Freitas "an extreme but sadly all too common example of the violence suffered by Black people in Brazil."

Through her spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, Bachelet called the incident a stark illustration of the persistent structural discrimination and racism Black people face in Brazil.