HUNDREDS marched for religious freedom on Brazil’s iconic Copacabana beach to raise awareness of the rise in discrimination against African-influenced religions. 

Practitioners of more than a dozen faiths — mostly of Afro-Brazilian heritage — participated in the event to support religious freedom in Brazil, where cases of discrimination have doubled over the past six years.

Many of the participants in the “March for the Defence of Religious Freedom” have faced attacks from members of Christian groups, it is understood. 

Brazil’s recently appointed Minister for Human Rights Macae Evaristo also joined the march, which was held for the 17th consecutive year.

Ms Evaristo told the Agencia Brasil news agency: “It is very important for me to be present in this march because the people here are also struggling for many things like decent work and a life free from hunger.”

In Rio de Janeiro, which is home to a quarter of Afro-Brazilian religious followers, there has been an increase in evangelical Christianity and neopentecostal churches.

Experts say that while most neopentecostal proselytising is peaceful, the spread of the faith has been accompanied by a surge of intolerance for traditional African-influenced religions, ranging from verbal abuse and discrimination to destruction of temples and forced expulsion from neighbourhoods.

Vania Vieira, a practitioner of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomble, said: “Everything that comes from black people, everything that comes from people of African origin is devalued; if we are not firm in our faith, we will lose strength.

“This walk is to show that we are standing, that we will survive.”

While the Brazilian constitution protects the free exercise of religion, cases of disrespect and attacks, especially against groups of African origin, have become increasingly frequent.

Between 2018 and 2023, there was a recorded increase of 140 per cent in the number of complaints of religious intolerance in the country.