Tears flow as Julia joins the parade

A TEARFUL seven-year-old carnival queen led exuberant drummers through the Sambadrome stadium in Rio, in a distressed state that has fuelled debate over whether a child should perform such a sexually-charged role.

Julia Lira emerged blinking into the bright lights and deafening fireworks of the stadium in Brazil and burst into tears as photographers and reporters scrummed around her before her samba group started its parade.

"She cried because there were a lot of people on top of her," said her father, Marco Lira, who is president of the Viradouro samba group, or school.

The country has been divided over whether Julia should have been given such a prominent role in the carnival, one that is usually filled by high-heeled models and sex-symbol soap opera stars.

The Rio de Janeiro state council for the defence of children and adolescents had sought to prevent Julia dancing, saying "what we can't allow is putting a seven-year-old girl in a role that traditionally for the carnival has a very sexual focus".

But a judge ruled last week that she could join the parade.