People took to the streets of Brazil against religious intolerance, why are Christians being accused of oppression?

Concerns about religious intolerance are growing in Brazil, known for its love of football. On Sunday, hundreds of people took out a march in support of religious freedom in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's newly appointed Human Rights Minister Macky Evaristo also participated in this rally.

Hundreds of people from different religions and sects attended the event held on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach. Most of these people belonged to the Afro-Brazilian religious community, which was attacked by some people from a Christian group a few days ago.

According to the information, this march has been taken out in support of religious freedom in Brazil for 17 consecutive years. According to the report of news agency AP, cases of religious intolerance have doubled in Rio de Janeiro in the last 6 years. At the same time, between the years 2018 and 2023, the Brazilian government recorded a 140 percent increase in complaints of cases of religious intolerance.

In fact, about one-fourth of the people living in Rio de Janeiro state follow the Afro-Brazilian religion. In 1970, Neo-Pentecostal churches were established here, whose aim was to spread Christianity among the people. According to experts, most of the conversions were peaceful, but the spread of Christianity led to increasing religious discrimination and intolerance against the people of the Afro-Brazilian community, including verbal attacks, vandalism of religious places, and eviction from the neighborhood.

On the other hand, Vania Vieira, who believes in the African-Brazilian religion Candomblé, says, 'Everything that comes from people of African descent is devalued. If we are not firm in our faith, we will lose our strength. We are trying to show through this march that we will survive only if we fight.

Minister Evaristo, who took part in the religious freedom march, has said that inequality is a big challenge for the country. He said that it is very important for me to participate in such marches. Evaristo said that the people who are participating in this march are struggling for many things in life, such as a good job and a life free from hunger.

Catholic Christians make up about 54 percent of Brazil's population. After the African continent, Brazil has the largest number of people of African descent who follow different religious beliefs. According to media reports, violence against Afro-Brazilians has increased steadily in the past few years and the Christian community has been blamed for it. In protest against this, a walking march was organized on the Copacabana beach in the state of Rio de Janeiro.