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Brazilian authorities on Wednesday spared no efforts to improve security as they promoted on social media “mega-protests to retake power” in two dozen cities. Whether it was due to the precautionary measures adopted or not, the perceived rebellion was not justified.
Fewer than 10 protesters showed up on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach; there were other journalists, plus 29 police vehicles. In Brasilia’s esplanade surrounded by federal government buildings, authorities have designated areas for protests and deployed police and national guard forces.
However, only one couple showed up, wearing the same Brazilian soccer jerseys that thousands of rioters stormed the country’s Congress four days before.
“We were surprised to be the only ones here,” said Eunice Carvalho, a 58-year-old housewife who was joined by her husband. “People get scared after going to jail, which is a lot.”
Speaking to reporters in Brasilia earlier, federal officials who have been in control of the capital’s security said police had closed major roads to traffic, restricted pedestrian access with barricades and blocked all access to the square that was the site of Sunday’s riots.
“The right to protest freely will always be respected and cannot be confused with terrorism,” said the official, Ricardo Cappelli.
‘I myself am afraid of being persecuted’
Citing calls for protests, Supreme Court judges ordered local authorities in cities across Brazil to prevent protesters from blocking streets or occupying public spaces and buildings.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes also ordered arrests and fines for people and companies involved in or helping with logistics and financing.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested in Brazil after a government building in the country’s capital was attacked by supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro denies involvement in the violence, and remains in Florida.
The all-hands response – and the subsequent calm – underscored how the authorities continue to struggle after supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace on Sunday, destroying three of the government’s most important buildings.
Officials arrested or detained about 1,500 people that morning, sending hundreds to prison.
Although there was no evidence of fraud in the October 30 presidential election, protesters claimed that the real winner was the far-right Bolsonaro. He made fundamental assertions about the vulnerability of electronic voting machines despite assurances from independent experts that they were closely scrutinized.
Bolsonaro has also warned his supporters that the leftist winner of the election, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, will implement communism.
Calls for a new uprising Wednesday fueled concerns that the crackdown has not dampened the will of radicals.
Among those vowing to keep fighting is Daniel Bressan, 35, who traveled about 300 miles from the interior of the state of Parana to join Sunday’s protest in Brasilia.
He was detained by the police this morning, although he denied involvement in the vandalism.
“A lot of people will be afraid to go out on the streets and get arrested – I myself am afraid of being persecuted by the legal system – but I will not stop fighting and I will not be discouraged,” said Bressan. by phone from the federal police temporary holding center.
“I am ready for everything. Our freedom is more valuable than our lives.”
Authorities are looking for the financier of the attack in Brasilia
The prison riots are just one part of the government’s efforts to hold people accountable, with the authorities also trying to arrest the people behind the riots.
These include organizers who call protesters to the capital and pay them, as well as local security personnel who are accused of standing by and allowing destruction, or even participating in protests themselves.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino told local media this week that authorities have identified some of the funders of the protests.
He said it was based on the southern and mid-western regions where Bolsonaro won the election. Without identifying individuals, he said they were members of the agribusiness sector, local business owners and registered firearms owners.
Dino previously said that the riots seemed to trigger a domino effect throughout the country. He has referred to the camp that has been created by Bolsonaro’s supporters outside the military building to ask the armed forces to cancel the election results as a “terrorist incubator.”
Authorities cleared camps in Brasilia and other cities after the unrest.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in as president of Brazil for a historic third term amid a carnival-like backdrop to commemorate his return to power. But he assumed the presidency of a country in turmoil, and not everyone celebrated his return.
In November, the Supreme Court froze 43 bank accounts of people accused of financing roadblocks that disrupted road traffic after Lula’s victory. At least 30 are in the central-western state of Mato Grosso, Brazil’s top soybean producer.
De Moraes, the judge of the Supreme Court, also ordered the preventive arrest of those who served on Sunday as the head of security of the federal district and the head of the military police, as well as the search of their homes. Both men have been fired since the riots.
“Absolutely nothing justifies the omission and collusion of the secretary of security and the commander of the military police,” de Moraes wrote in his decision, which was made public on Tuesday.
Justice also objected to the protest camps sponsored by various funds.
“There are strong indications that criminal terrorist acts can only occur with the participation or deliberate omission – which will be determined in the investigation – of the above-mentioned public authorities,” wrote de Moraes.
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