Sao Paulo hotel squatters evicted; violence breaks out
- 10 years ago
Clashes have erupted in Brazil’s largest city Sao Paulo after authorities attempted to evict around 800 people squatting at an abandoned hotel.
Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd, which included members of the so-called “roofless” movement.
The group, which campaigns for more low-income housing in the city, often commandeers abandoned buildings.
Local media said as many as 200 families, including women and children, were living in the hotel, situated in the heart of the city.
Some of the squatters reacted by throwing furniture and homemade explosives at police.
Around 70 people were arrested but many families with nowhere else to go were allowed to stay in the building for now.
Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd, which included members of the so-called “roofless” movement.
The group, which campaigns for more low-income housing in the city, often commandeers abandoned buildings.
Local media said as many as 200 families, including women and children, were living in the hotel, situated in the heart of the city.
Some of the squatters reacted by throwing furniture and homemade explosives at police.
Around 70 people were arrested but many families with nowhere else to go were allowed to stay in the building for now.