Does the conjunction between police protests and action by sectors of the working class mean that they are all part of the same struggle?This question was posed to our comrades in Brazil, during the recent strike by the Military Police. The statement that follows aims to make it clear that while police officers may often be recruited from the poorest layers of society, and are also being strongly affected by the crisis of capitalism, the essential role of the police is to defend capitalism from the struggles of the working class.