April 17 is the day of Struggle for Agrarian Reform
April 17 is the day of Struggle for Agrarian Reform, a symbolic date for the struggle in the countryside and the search for social justice in Brazil. Established in 1997, the date was chosen in memory of the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre, which occurred in 1996, in which 19 landless rural workers were murdered by the military police of Pará during a protest. The episode is one of the greatest symbols of violence against peasants in the country.
The date marks the resistance of social movements, such as the Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST), which has been demanding agrarian reform and the distribution of land to those who really need it for decades. Brazil is one of the countries with the greatest concentration of land in the world, with large estates and high levels of inequality in the countryside. For rural workers, agrarian reform represents the right to land, housing, education and dignity.
On this day, demonstrations, debates and activities are held to pressure the government to ensure the implementation of public policies that favor the democratization of access to land and the strengthening of rural communities.
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