ProtestoftheEightofGlória

Praia do Flamengo, South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, November 17, 1965. In front of the traditional Hotel Glória, a group made up of artists and intellectuals organized what would be one of the first public protests against the Military Dictatorship. There were nine protesters: the journalists and writers Antonio Callado, Marcio Moreira Alves, and Carlos Heitor Cony; the filmmakers Glauber Rocha, Mário Carneiro, and Joaquim Pedro de Andrade; the ambassador Jayme de Azevedo Rodrigues – recently removed from Itamaraty; the theater director Flávio Rangel; and the poet Thiago de Mello.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a protest. In the foreground, we see three women and a child. The woman farthest to the left holds a banner reading "QUEREMOS LIBERDADE" (WE WANT FREEDOM). To her right is another woman, and to that woman's right is a third woman, who appears to be looking at the camera. In the upper part of the image, we see men in formal attire, some of them holding the banner. Everyone appears to be standing in a square or public area.

Amid reporters, photographers, and international correspondents, the nine were waiting for General Castello Branco, responsible for the speech that would open the Organization of American States (OAS) meeting that night. When the outriders accompanying the presidential motorcade appeared on Rua do Russell, which leads to the hotel, they were already ready.

The moment Castello Branco stepped out of the car, the shouts of "Down with the dictatorship" began. The protesters raised banners with short phrases in letters large enough to stand out well in the photos: "Bienvenidos a nuestra dictadura," "Long live freedom." Eight of them ended up arrested – Thiago de Mello managed to escape before the police arrived.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a protest held on November 17, 1965. In the central part of the image, we see two banners being followed by demonstrators. One reads "DOWN WITH THE DICTATORSHIP" and the other "LONG LIVE FREEDOM." On the left, a man raises his arm in a sign of protest. In the background, we see trees and a parked car. The photo was produced by an unknown author and is under reserved rights.

The following day, the newspaper O Globo reported on the front page: "Leftists cause a riot and end up arrested by SOPS," the Departamento de Ordem Política e Social (Dops), referred to as the 'Service' by the newspaper. But the case's repercussions were not good for the military.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white newspaper. At the top, there is a large, prominent headline reading "CASTELO QUER A OEA REVIGORADA PARA O BEM DO PAN-AMERICANISMO" ("CASTELO WANTS THE OAS REVITALIZED FOR THE GOOD OF PAN-AMERICANISM"). Below it, there is a smaller subheading mentioning "Esquerdistas Fazem Arruaça e Acabam Presos Pelo SOPS" ("Leftists Cause a Disturbance and End Up Arrested by SOPS"). The newspaper is dated 1965 and carries the subtitle "O GLOBO". There is a photo of a man speaking into a microphone, with a building in the background. At the bottom, there is more text and an image of a standing person.

While the “Eight of Glória” spent their days in the holding cells of the Army Police Battalion – on Rua Barão de Mesquita, Tijuca –, protests against the arrest sprang up from every corner. From abroad, they came from names such as the writer Alberto Moravia and the filmmakers Luis Buñuel, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Jean-Luc Godard. After this episode, the military would have no more doubts: repression of the artistic and intellectual class would not be simple.