A plaque in honor of city councilor Marielle Franco, murdered three years ago, will be unveiled in the coming days at the Rio de Janeiro metro station, in the Caballito district of Buenos Aires.
The authorization to place the tribute was given last Thursday (12) by the Parliament of the city of Buenos Aires, which has provincial status. The proposal was sent by Peronist MP María Bielli at the request of Coletivo Passarinho – a group formed by Brazilians living in the Argentine capital.
“In Argentina, Marielle is congratulated at all levels, for the defense of blacks, slum dwellers, women and human rights. Here, due to the military dictatorship [1976-1983], a murder that can be linked to the state attracts a lot of attention, ”explains Renata Benítez, member of the collective.
“In addition, Marielle is the symbol of a very strong questioning vis-à-vis the Bolsonaro government.”
The sign, already ready, says: “In memory of Marielle Franco (1979-2018). Counselor of Rio de Janeiro, defender of human rights and of the LGBTQIA community, murdered on March 14, 2018”.
There will also be a QR code that will take you to a page with data on the life of the Carioca parliamentarian. Marielle was killed at age 38 in central Rio. She and the driver of the car she was in were shot dead – both died. An assistant who accompanied him, in turn, survived.
Despite the arrest of two people suspected of carrying out the murder, police in Rio de Janeiro have so far not clarified whether there was a commander or what was the motive for the crime. Since then, the life of Marielle – a black, lesbian woman born in Complexo da Maré – has inspired others and, recently, has become a television series.
Last Sunday (14), when Marielle’s death was three years old, an artistic intervention was made at the metro station, placing the name of the advisor next to the name of the station.
So, for one day, the station was called “Rio de Janeiro – Marielle Franco”. The members of the collective wanted to ask for the definitive change of the name of the parade, but a municipal law requires that in the event of homage to dead characters, it is necessary to spend at least five years after the death.
Along with the intervention, the group organized other events related to Marielle, such as online debates, outdoor screening of films on topics related to the counselor, among other programs.