On Monday 21 March, 2011, United States President Barack Obama left Brazil, his first stop on a quick tour of Latin America intended to tighten economic ties. He continued to Santiago, Chile and then on to El Salvador. Intended to be a party, Obama’s first visit to Brazil was marked by the controversial decision to intervene militarily in Libya, in addition to the “covering up” of the favela shanty towns and police repression of protesters. Obama go home Even before touching down on Brazilian soil, Obama's visit was already causing controversy. Early on the night of Friday 18 March, 2011, a protest outside the United States Consulate in Rio ended in violence. Of the more than 300 activists present, thirteen were arrested after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Consulate, according to the police, who reacted with rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas. The Youtube video above posted on March 18, shows people singing slogans against Obama’s visit, America’s supposed interest in Brazilian petroleum and the imminent attack on Libya. From 1 minute 45 seconds, the sound of explosions can be heard, followed by running. In the comments box, user graficautopica [pt] negates the police version: Este espírito pacífico era compartilhado pelos manifestantes. Entendemos que transformar a passeata em uma batalha apenas favoreceria o imperialismo, evitando que se discuta as verdadeiras intenções da visita. Neste sentido, desconhecemos os autores do ataque e queremos vir a público declarar nossa desconfiança de que provocadores tenham se infiltrado no ato, com esse objetivo. Those detained were accused of causing bodily harm, attempted arson and conspiracy. In the blogosphere, they are being called political prisoners. For Anderson Balotta [pt], the case has been poorly explained: pelo que pude perceber se tratou de uma prisão arbitrária de militantes que estavam passando no local e hora e acabaram pagando pelo pato. Novos presos políticos no país da democracia, justamente na visita de Obama e a contradição em alto, che cosa bella, mia gente!!! Não espere ouvir um parecer da grande mídia (porque esta, está comprometida com as belezas da visita de Obama). About an hour after Barack Obama left, the Court released a ruling in favour of releasing the protesters, who are now free. US President Obama is received in Brazilian capital Brasilia. Image by William Volcov, copyright Demotix (19/03/11). Between Dilma and Libya The first stage of the trip to Brasília was marked by the decision to launch a military attack on Libya [pt], which was made by Obama, according to the newspaper Folha de São Paulo, during a meeting with president Dilma Rousseff. Obama received a note and reacted by saying that “measures” must be taken. For José Reinaldo Carvalho [pt], editor of the site Vermelho (Red), Obama disgraced Brazil by starting a “war disguised as a humanitarian cause” there: Em atitude que viola as regras da hospitalidade, constrangendo o anfitrião, Obama simplesmente desonrou o Brasil, ao fazer uma declaração de guerra no país que por princípio constitucional e tradição advoga a solução pacífica dos conflitos internacionais. O presidente estadunidense ignorou o fato de que o Brasil se absteve na votação da resolução do Conselho de Segurança da ONU que abriu a via legal para a agressão, “por não estar seguro de que o uso da força é o melhor caminho”, conforme explicou a embaixadora Viotti, representante do Brasil no órgão das Nações Unidas. For the Americans to see Residents of Cidade de Deus find ways to have fun during Obama’s visit. Twitpic author's name withheld by request President Obama made a frantic trip through Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, dedicating half an hour of his time to the shantytown, or favela, Cidade de Deus (City of God), where his lightning-fast visit generated new controversy: residents complained of the “covering up” of the favela to make it look presentable and criticised the security rules imposed by the White House, such as a 300 metre isolation cordon which forced residents from their homes, and the body searches imposed on everyone, including children. In the face of these requirements, Rio’s Central Única das Favelas (Unified Favela Centre) removed itself from the organisation of the event, refusing to “be used as an exotic stage” [pt]. Its founder, Celso Athayde, let off steam [pt] in various Twitter messages: Vou tuitar para o consulado para eles não tirarem as pessoas de casa, e não revistar os pretinhos de 3 anos de idade dentro da própria casa Here he summarises the visit [pt] from the residents’ point of view: é isso, eu vou na sua casa, mas eu não quero vc em casa. Uma questão de segurança.