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A30    world news
                     Diahuebs 21 aPRiL 2022

                          Rio’s Carnival parade is back, as street bands ache to party


                                                                      Samba  schools’  elaborate  Momo the city’s key.          spotlight,  but  their  resur-
                                                                      floats  and  feather-festooned                            gence in the 1990s dovetailed
                                                                      dancers  will  parade  between  His  statement  echoed  com-  with  redemocratization  after
                                                                      packed  bleachers  starting  ments on Sunday while visit-  two  decades  of  military  dic-
                                                                      Wednesday night. As for the  ing samba schools that were  tatorship, according to André
                                                                      more  than  500 street  parties  putting finishing touches on  Videira, a sociology professor
                                                                      that usually run wild through  their  floats.  The  competing  at the Federal Rural Univer-
                                                                      the  city,  City  Hall  refused  schools  were  corraled  from  sity of Rio de Janeiro who has
                                                                      to grant them authorization,  the  streets  into  the  Sam-  studied blocos.
                                                                      claiming  it  lacked  sufficient  badrome  in  the  1980s,  and
                                                                      time to prepare.             became  Rio’s  quintessen-   Later,  they  began  assum-
                                                                                                   tial Carnival display for tens  ing forms akin to U.S. brass
                                                                      That dissonance has sparked  of  thousands  of  attendees  bands,  without  the  need  for
                                                                      debate  over  whether  City  willing to shell out for tick-  sound  trucks  or  drum  sec-
                                                                      Hall is stifling Carnival’s es-  ets.  Their  parades  will  run  tions that hindered mobility.
                                                                      sence, and if denizens should  through Sunday night.      Blocos were free to roam.
                                                                      seize the streets as their own.
                                                                      Some  organizers  couldn’t  In the Sambadrome’s shadow  “They are important vehicles
                                                                      care  less  what  is  allowed;  are  the  free  parties  known  for  the  democratization  of
                                                                      they will turn out anyway —  as  “blocos”,  which  stream  access  to  culture  and  access
                                                                      part party, part protest — and  through streets and pour into  to the city,” Videira said.
                                                                      Mayor Paes, a confessed Car-  plazas, many of whose mem-
                                                                      nival  enthusiast,  has  said  he  bers  relish  subverting  estab-  Since  2010,  more  than  150
                                                                      will  refrain  from  deploying  lished  order.  What  blocos  blocos  have  refused  City
                                                                      the Municipal Guard.         lack  in  glamour  they  make  Hall’s  institution  of  a  regis-
                                                                                                   up  for  with  glitter  and  grit.  tration  process,  with  many
                                                                      “City  Hall  won’t  impede  Costumes  range  from  racy  viewing  it  as  an  attempt  to
            (AP)  —  Rio  de  Janeiro’s  of the status quo -- but it  people from being in public  to outlandish, and are some-  formalize  something  inher-
            Mayor  Eduardo  Paes  on  remains  to  be  seen  how  spaces, from celebrating, but  times clever digs at authority  ently  informal,  Videira  said.
            Wednesday  ceremonially  much post-pandemic par-          it’s impossible that it happen  figures.                  They  insist  celebrating  Car-
            handed control of the city  tying is in store during the  at such (large) size,” Paes said                          nival isn’t contingent on au-
            to  King  Momo,  a  ritual  first Carnival in two years.  in  response  to  a  reporter’s  Blocos  had  largely  vanished  thorities’ consent — not this
            representing the upheaval                                 question  after  giving  King  as samba schools claimed the  year, nor any other.

                            Israeli military says rocket fired from Gaza amid tensions


            (AP)  —  A  rocket  was  large  numbers  around  the  group  of  Palestinian  pro-     Israeli Prime Minister Naftali  annexed  in  a  move  not  rec-
            fired  into  southern  Israel  historic  Old  City,  home  to  testers  threw  rocks  at  police  Bennett  said  in  a  statement  ognized  internationally.  The
            from  the  Gaza  Strip  late  major religious sites for Jews,  while  hundreds  of  Jewish  that he would bar Ben Gvir  Palestinians seek an indepen-
            Wednesday,  the  Israeli  Christians and Muslims, out  visitors  entered  the  flash-  from  going  to  Damascus  dent state in all three territo-
            military  said,  in  the  sec-  of  concern  that  confronta-  point holy site.        Gate. “I don’t intend to allow  ries and consider east Jerusa-
            ond such attack this week  tions  could  further  inflame                              petty politics to endanger hu-  lem their capital.
            as  Mideast  tensions  have  an  already  tense  situation  Amateur  video  from  the  man lives,” he said.
            soared over violence in Je-  during  the  Jewish  holiday  scene  appeared  to  show  po-                           Organizer  Noam  Nisan  de-
            rusalem.                     of Passover and the Muslim  lice   using   sponge-tipped  Last  May,  Palestinian  mili-  fended the march in an inter-
                                         holy month of Ramadan.       plastic projectiles intended to  tants  in  Gaza  fired  rockets  view  with  Kan  public  radio
            It was not immediately clear                              be non-lethal as the protest-  toward Jerusalem as a much  before it was held, saying: “A
            if there were any casualties or  Tensions  have  surged  in  re-  ers barricaded themselves in-  larger group of thousands of  Jew with a flag in Jerusalem is
            damage, and no one claimed  cent  weeks  after  a  series  of  side the mosque. Police said  Israelis  held  a  flag  march  to  not a provocation.”
            the strike.                  deadly  attacks  inside  Israel,  a firebomb thrown by one of  the Old City following weeks
                                         followed  by  military  opera-  the protesters set a carpet out-  of  protests  and  clashes  in  He  said  the  demonstration
            The  Islamic  militant  group  tions  in  the  occupied  West  side the mosque on fire, but  and  around  Al-Aqsa.  Those  was  a  response  to  Palestin-
            Hamas  that  rules  Gaza  had  Bank. On Monday, Palestin-  it  was  quickly  extinguished.  events  led  to  an  11-day  war  ians pelting buses with stones
            issued  vague  threats  earlier  ian  militants  fired  a  rocket  No injuries were reported.  between Israel and Hamas.  just  outside  the  Old  City
            Wednesday  over  a  planned  from  the  Gaza  Strip  into                                                           earlier this week. The attack
            march through Jerusalem by  Israel  for  the  first  time  in  The   Palestinian   militant  Israeli nationalists stage such  happened  near  an  entrance
            Israeli  ultra-nationalists.  But  months, and Israel responded  group  Hamas,  which  rules  marches to try to assert sov-  leading to the Western Wall,
            Israeli  police  blocked  roads  with airstrikes.         the Gaza Strip, said Wednes-  ereignty over east Jerusalem,  the  holiest  site  where  Jews
            and  prevented  the  marchers                             day ahead of the march that  which  Israel  seized  in  the  can pray, which is next to Al-
            from  reaching  dense  Pales-  The exchange followed days  Israel  would  bear  “full  re-  1967 Mideast war, along with  Aqsa.
            tinian  neighborhoods,  after  of  clashes  between  Israeli  sponsibility  for  the  reper-  the West Bank and Gaza, and
            a similar event nearly a year  police and Palestinians at the  cussions”  if  it  allowed  the
            ago helped trigger an Israel-  Al-Aqsa mosque compound,  marchers  “to  approach  our
            Gaza war.                    known to Jews as the Temple  holy sites,” without elaborat-
                                         Mount.                       ing.
            Police  used  parked  trucks
            and  barricades  just  outside  The  hilltop  shrine  in  Jeru-  Itamar  Ben  Gvir,  an  ultra-
            the walls of the Old City to  salem’s Old City is the third  nationalist  lawmaker  who
            close  the  main  road  leading  holiest  in  Islam,  while  for  frequently  stages  provoca-
            down  to  Damascus  Gate,  Jews  it  is  their  holiest  site,  tive  visits  to  Palestinian  ar-
            the  epicenter  of  last  year’s  where  two  temples  stood  eas,  attended  the  rally  and
            unrest.  After  some  pushing  in  antiquity.  It  is  the  emo-  was greeted with cheers. He
            and shoving with police, the  tional  ground  zero  for  the  is a disciple of a radical rabbi
            marchers rallied near the bar-  Israeli-Palestinian   conflict  whose  violently  anti-Arab
            ricades, waving flags, singing  and a flashpoint for previous  ideology  was  once  shunned
            and chanting.                rounds of violence.          in Israel but is now having a
                                                                      revival.
            Israeli  police  deployed  in  Earlier on Wednesday, a small
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