Friends, family and colleagues of the Bristol journalist Dom Phillips, who is missing in Brazil have called for more to be done to find him.
Mr Phillips, who worked for many years in Bristol in the 2000s before heading for a new life as an author and journalist in Brazil a decade ago, has not been seen since he and a Brazilian indigenous affairs official, Bruno Araujo Pereira, visited an isolated community in the Amazon rainforest.
Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy said she had tried to raise the case in Parliament on Wednesday but had not been allowed to, so will try again on Monday.
Read more: Fears grow for missing Bristol journalist Dom Phillips
A vigil was held this morning (Thursday) at the Brazilian Embassy in London, led by Dom's sister Sian Phillips, with supporters, friends and colleagues calling for the Brazilian authorities to do more to investigate what has happened to Dom and Bruno.
The two men vanished from a remote part of the rainforest more than three days ago, having reportedly last been seen early on Sunday in the Sao Rafael community. Some people held red roses while others clasped red and black posters which read "Find Dom & Bruno" and featured images of the missing pair's faces, as they stood in silence in a line outside the entrance of the embassy from 8am.
In a statement to the press, Ms Phillips, who donned a red top and held a red rose, with her partner Paul Sherwood and twin brother Gareth Phillips by her side, said: "We had to come this morning, to ask the question: where is Dom Phillips? Where is Bruno Pereira? And we are also here for my brother's wife, Alessandra Sampaio. We are here with my brother's nieces and sister-in-law too. We are here because Dom is missing, he is lost doing the important job of investigative journalism. We are here to make the point that why did it take so long for them to start the search for my brother and for Bruno. We want the search to carry on."
The 57-year-old journalist and author was researching a book about the threats to the Amazon and the indigineous communities that live there, mainly from illegal mining, logging and fishing businesses - and the official who was accompanying him on the short trip into the remote rainforest had spoken before about being threatened by people engaged in those illegal activities.
There has been criticism both in Brazil and in the UK about the far-right President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro not taking the disappearance seriously enough. In a TV interview, he dismissed their trip to research for Dom Phillips book as 'an adventure'.
At the vigil, Sian spoke about how her brother is a "great writer and journalist, a caring man... and cares about the environment and loves Brazil" and that the whole family loves him. When asked about the chances of her brother being found, she added: "We all still have hope. We have hope."
Louisa Casson, head of forests at Greenpeace UK, explained the meaning of the red roses. "We wanted something that conveys the love and admiration everyone here has for Dom and Bruno and for their work and amplifying the images already on social media with this clear message of find Dom and Bruno," she said.
At 9.30am, a letter was given to the Brazilian ambassador from Greenpeace UK's executive director Pat Venditti and Mr Phillips' family.
Ms Casson added that the letter presents "an urgent call on the Brazilian government to dedicate all necessary local and federal resources to the search mission for Bruno and Dom".
The vigil comes after a suspect named as 41-year-old Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, also known as Pelado, was arrested for allegedly carrying a firearm without a permit, a common practice in the region.
Police did not clarify why he was being treated as a suspect but he is thought to have been among a group of men who threatened the pair near an indigenous territory on Saturday.
Brazil football legend Pele added his weight to the wave of concern over the fate of the British journalist and the Brazilian official. He tweeted his support for the calls to find the pair, and linked it to their work to preserve the rainforest. "The fight for the preservation of the Amazon Forest and of the indigenous groups belongs to all of us," he said. "I am moved by the disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Ferreira, who dedicate their lives to this cause. I join the many voices that make the appeal to intensify the search," he added.
Dom Phillips began his journalistic career in Bristol, before going on to edit Mixmag. On the day the statue of Edward Colston was toppled in 2020, he tweeted from Brazil about his time in Bristol.
Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy said she was concerned about the fate of Dom Phillips. "I tried to get an Urgent Question in Commons today (Wednesday) on the disappearance of journalist and former Bristol resident Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira. Unfortunately it wasn't granted by the Speaker but will try again on Monday," she said.
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