Enlarge imageBy Denise Luna and Andrei Khalip
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The black berets and uniforms of the brutal police unit featured in the controversial movie "Elite Squad" are a favourite costume for this year’s Carnival in Rio de Janeiro -- and a reminder of the violence afflicting the city.
Vendors complained they did not have enough such costumes to satisfy demand. With a week to go until Carnival kicks off, revellers in early street parties are already wearing them, complete with the skull-and-pistols insignia.
"Elite Squad" (Tropa de Elite) tells the story of a police special forces unit that uses tough tactics to combat drug gangs in the slums, or favelas, of Rio. It was an instant hit in Brazil last year, with many viewers lauding the police.
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The filmmakers have lamented the idolization of the characters, saying they wanted to show that excessive police violence is as bad as crime itself.
In one of the most gruesome scenes, police torture a young suspect, putting a plastic bag on his blood-covered head, to obtain information. They then kill the youth.
Human rights groups criticize Rio’s police and especially the elite squad, the BOPE special unit. According to official figures, police in the metropolitan Rio killed 1,214 suspects described as "resisting arrest" last year, 22 percent more than in 2006.
Carlos Henrique dos Santos of Rodrigao costume shop said the new police heroes had pushed perennial favourites like Spiderman or Superman from their top positions.
"I ordered 100 "Elite Squad" costumes and they’re gone."
Prices vary from $10 for the beret and T-shirt to $28 for more elaborate women’s models with skirts and sexy tops.
"The ’Elite Squad’ costume is the most asked for," said Marcelo Servos of Casa Turuna costumes shop. "We’re out of women’s models and men’s won’t last long. Children’s models are also all sold."
SHOOT THE LOWLIFES AND PARTY ON
Although Rio is famed for the televised parades by samba schools with glitzy floats and costumes, the real fun at Carnival time is the street parties where revellers dress as nuns, devils or superheroes.
At one party last weekend, some dancers wearing the black berets praised the police.
"We can dance and have fun here because BOPE is doing a good job up the hill, including shooting the lowlifes," said 37-year-old designer Maria Isabel, referring to the favelas.
The day before that party, police killed four alleged drug traffickers in a helicopter-backed raid in the Pedreira slum, while five officers were wounded by a grenade blast.
On Wednesday, Rio security chief Jose Beltrame said he had requested armed personnel carriers from the army to transport police to their posts in big slums like Rocinha and Alemao.
Most of the slums, home to 1 million of Rio’s 8 million people, are not patrolled by police. Instead, the police raid areas controlled by well-armed drug gangs in military-style invasions in which innocent bystanders are often killed.
"Elite Troop," directed by Jose Padilha, makes the point that the violence is fuelled by the drug habits of Rio’s middle and upper classes. It is slated for international release soon.
Padilha is famous for his documentary ’Bus 174’ about a young criminal who took hostages on a bus and was later strangled by police.
(Editing by Angus MacSwan and Philip Barbara)
