On July 26, 1968, approximately 100,000 people, mostly students, occupied the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro. The March of One Hundred Thousand was most the most important protest against the military dictatorship at the time, uniting intellectuals, artists, and families. The protest began with a demonstration in Cinelândia demanding freedom for imprisoned students, the end of censorship, the restoration of democratic liberties, and an official government stance in relation to student issues.
Reporting by Jornal do Brasil describes how student leader Vladimir Palmeira made a speech in remembrance of Édson Luís in front of Candelária church, the same place where the Seventh-Day Mass had occurred for the student murdered by the Military Dictatorship in March of that same year. “[Valdimir] waited about 15 minutes for the rest of the march to continue down Rio Branco Avenue and reach Candelária. In his second speech, he talked for about 10 minutes. (…) To begin the speech, he said ‘this place has a special significance because this is where Édson Luís’ mass took place. It was not a mass for just any death. It represented our stand against military repression. Today, with this second protest -‘ continued Valdimir Palmeira – ‘we give a show of force, but don’t fool yourselves. We may be strong enough to take Candelária, but far too poor to take power,'” concluded the student.