Katy Perry Honors Marielle Franco in Rio Concert Amid Nationwide Protests

Key facts

• Katy Perry honored Marielle Franco during a Rio de Janeiro concert on a Sunday at Praça da Apoteose.
• Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Pedro Gomes were executed on March 14, 2018, around 9:30 PM on Rua Joaquim Palhares in central Rio.
• Franco was a 38-year-old PSOL councilwoman, sociologist from PUC-Rio, and held a master's in public administration from UFF.
• She was the fifth most-voted councilor in the last election and had recently been appointed rapporteur of a commission monitoring a military intervention in public security.
• Franco had denounced police violence in Acari, Rio de Janeiro, on March 10, 2018.
• Protests were scheduled for March 15 in at least ten Brazilian capitals, including São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Recife, Brasília, Natal, and Porto Alegre.
• Federal Deputy Jean Wyllys (PSOL-RJ) called for a congressional commission to investigate the murders, stating 'Marielle Franco's ideas are bulletproof!'
• According to Agência Lupa and IPEA's Atlas da Violência, a woman is murdered every two hours in Brazil, with 65.3% of victims being black women.