Today, 14 September, marks two and a half years without Marielle and Anderson. Thirty months have passed with no answer to one of the most brutal murders in the history of Brazilian democracy. Thirty months of pain, but also of strong popular reaction that was even felt internationally, keeps their legacy alive and keeps asking the same question: “Who ordered Marielle Franco’s murder and why?” The lack of answers up to now will not be enough to silence us and everyone inspired by Marielle’s struggle. Even with the arrest of the shooting suspects, Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, the case has not yet been fully solved. Answering this question does not only mean seeing that justice is done, but also leads to which political group in Brazil resolves differences with the bullet and with contract murder.
Marielle’s death was a tragic episode. In addition to assassinating her in life, they also tried to assassinate her reputation. Since her death, social networks have been contaminated with misleading news and rumors that the woman councilor had relations with the drug traffickers of Rio de Janeiro. Such Fake News was even reproduced by a Federal District deputy for Democratas (Democrats) and a Court of Justice judge in Rio. The rumors were refuted by cross-checking website data, and a major campaign against the Fake News that targeted Marielle was promoted by a group of PSOL lawyers which resulted in victorious slander and defamation action.
The attempt to distort and manipulate Marielle’s story has a raison d’être. Nothing erases her absence, but the power signified by the seed that Marielle left behind will certainly continue to flourish among the next generations. From the beginning, there was no mourning without fighting. The demonstrations that to date have demanded justice echo “Marielle, presente!” (Marielle is here!). Elected for the PSOL with 46,500 votes, Marielle won the fifth highest vote for a councilor in the 2016 elections and was serving her first term as a parliamentarian. She originates from the favela (slums) of Maré, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, was 38 years old, a sociologist with a master’s degree in public administration and a human rights activist.
Today, Marielle’s legacy has become a seed and flourishes in the streets and decision making spaces across the country. As she herself said, “the flowers of resistance are born from the asphalt”. Marielle is remembered by all of us for her contagious joy and her courage to fight. The socialist, the feminist, the anti-racist, the defender of human rights, of the LGBT cause, the favelada (slum dweller), the black woman, the woman who loved another woman, the mother, the daughter, the sister. In all respects, Marielle Franco will be remembered and will be present. Her name, her struggle, and her life are mixed into every facet and all forms of the resistance of the Brazilian people. What she carried with her was a complete political identity, which cannot be fragmented or erased from history.
“Marielle Vive” (Marielle Lives) is proof that we will keep the flame burning. That we will no longer take it anymore. That we will not forget. Marielle has been transformed, she has multiplied, new Marielles have arisen, in their hundreds and their thousands. In every favela, every neighborhood, every place of study, a new Marielle appears. This year, we will experience another round of elections in which there will certainly be thousands of black women across the country who, inspired by Marielle, will readily enter their names. For us, this is not just a competition over profile, but a daily commitment, both within and outside of elections, to do justice to her memory and her struggle, in every occupation for land, for housing, and every feminist, anti-racist, and democratic struggle.
Thirty months ago, we cried. We took to the streets. Many of us fell apart. We were heartbroken. We had nothing but each other. At that moment, we understood that no one could let go of anyone’s hand. It still hurts today. But our cry is no longer only one of pain, it is also one for justice. “Marielle Vive” is the cry that has stuck in the throat for 500 years, the cry that encompasses all the struggles and characteristics of the Brazilian people. This is not just about remembering Marielle, it is about keeping her legacy alive and multiplying it. It is a denunciation of the far-right and of the government that unites sectors of the army with the militia. It is a cry against the elites who have killed, continue to kill and believe that they can kill and dominate our people. The struggle for answers continues.
Quem mandou matar Marielle Franco? (Who ordered Marielle Franco’s murder?)
Why did Adriano da Nóbrega, militia leader who executed her, receive money from Queiroz and from Flávio Bolsonaro’s office?
Who was in house 58, the condominium owned by President Jair Bolsonaro, on the day of the murders?
Translator’s note: On 14 March 2018, Marielle Franco, Rio de Janeiro city councilor for the Party of Socialism and Freedom (PSOL), and her driver Anderson Gomes, were brutally murdered in a political execution. Assassins in a second car pulled up beside Marielle’s and fired thirteen bullets into the vehicle, killing both Marielle and Anderson.
This article is an English translation of “30 meses sem Marielle Franco”, [https://esquerdaonline.com.
Comentários