Participants celebrated with banners, dances, and rituals, highlighting the country’s religious variety. Despite Brazil’s constitutional protection of religious freedom, the rise of neo-Pentecostal churches, especially in Rio, has coincided with increasing intolerance towards Afro-Brazilian religions. This includes verbal abuse, temple destruction, and forced expulsions. From 2018 to 2023, religious intolerance complaints surged by 140.3%. Perpetrators of such crimes face up to five years in prison and fines.
Source: Africanews
