The Brazilian government has persistently chosen violence to deal with the poor and now, with the protesters.
![Police brutality in Rio de Janeiro's favelas has prompted residents to take to the streets [AFP/Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013125141433992734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)

Giuseppe Cocco is Professor at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and the author of O Trabalho dos Direitos, The Work of Rights and MundoBraz.
The Brazilian government has persistently chosen violence to deal with the poor and now, with the protesters.
![Police brutality in Rio de Janeiro's favelas has prompted residents to take to the streets [AFP/Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013125141433992734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)