The Scout statue, at Aterro do Flamengo, was vandalized again. The flag, hatchet and hat were stolen from the monument.
The monument, donated by Chile in the 1920s, had already been stolen in 2019. It was restored and reinstalled in 2022.
The reinstallation took place in a place with lighting and security. André Torricelli lamented the new attack: "And here it happened again."
Rio City Hall spent R$350,000 this year to recover vandalized pieces. The municipality recorded 17 incidents against monuments.
The Scout statue, installed at Praia do Flamengo, in Aterro do Flamengo, in the South Zone of Rio, was vandalized again. This time, the flag, hatchet and hat that make up the monument were stolen. The depredation was identified around nine days ago by members of the scout movement.
The monument had been restored after a theft in 2019, and reinstalled in 2022 in a new location, chosen precisely because it offered better security conditions. Even so, he once again became a target for criminals.
The case is part of a problem that affects other monuments in the city. This year alone, Rio City Hall has already spent around R$350,000 to recover parts damaged by theft and acts of vandalism.
The statue is a symbol of friendship between Brazil and Chile. It was a gift from the Chilean government in the 1920s, after Brazilian scout children and teenagers organized a campaign to raise money and help victims of an earthquake in the neighboring country.
According to André Torricelli, president of the Cultural Center of the Scout Movement, the mobilization raised one real coins to help children affected by the tragedy.
In gratitude, Chilean scouts commissioned the work from an artist and sent the piece to be installed in Rio.
This is not the first time that the monument has been targeted by criminals. In 2019, when it was still in Glória, the statue was stolen. At the time, only the feet remained in place.
The Municipal Guard found the piece and handed it over to the city hall. The Boy Scouts then asked to take over the restoration and organized a campaign to raise funds.
The state of conservation was so bad that a team traveled to Chile to photograph an identical statue, used as a reference so that a craftsman could reconstruct the details of the work.
After long work, the monument returned to the streets of Rio in 2022, this time at Praia do Flamengo, in front of Parque das Crianças.
The change of address was designed to prevent further attacks. The location is close to a Segurança Presente unit, has lighting and is managed by the park.
"It was a long job and we managed to install it here, in this new location, in front of the Segurança Presente, the park administration, the most suitable place, with lighting, everything so that this wouldn't happen. And here it happened again", lamented André Torricelli.
Last year, the city hall recorded 17 incidents of theft or vandalism against monuments in Rio. This year, the same number was reached before the end of November.
The loss also falls on public coffers. So far, around R$350,000 has been spent on recovery services.
For Marconi Andrade, restaurateur and founder of the SOS Patrimônio group, the situation represents a loss to the city's memory and identity.
He states that a large part of Rio's monuments have been or are being targeted by vandalism and defends heritage education policies and appreciation of these spaces.
Damaging public property is a crime and can result in a sentence of up to three years in prison.
The Municipal Guard reported that it carries out patrols at Praia do Flamengo, focusing on urban security and the protection of public property.
The Military Police stated that, in addition to patrolling the region, they intensified approach and search actions to prevent crimes.
