Is the next congress storm looming?
Brazil fears ‘mega demo’
Supporters of right-wing ex-President Jair Bolsonaro have called for a “mega-demonstration to regain power” on Wednesday evening. The Brazilian police are on alert.
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The police presence was increased in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia.
For fear of renewed actions by radical supporters of Brazil’s ex-president Jair Bolsonaro (67), security measures in the capital Brasilia have been tightened. “A repeat of the events is out of the question,” said the head of security in the capital district, Ricardo Cappelli, on Brazilian television on Wednesday. Accordingly, the entire police force would be mobilized in the event of possible seditious acts. “The free forecourts of the ministries are already closed to traffic. There will be barriers, roadblocks and checks,” Cappelli said.
Supporters of right-wing Bolsonaro had called for a “mega-demonstration to regain power” in all Brazilian capitals on Wednesday evening (local time). Many Bolsonaro supporters do not want to recognize the victory of the new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (77) in the October election. Because they suspect fraud because of the close election result, they repeatedly call for military intervention.
On Sunday, angry Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Congress, the Supreme Court and the government seat Palácio do Planalto and caused considerable damage to the buildings. It took hours for the security forces to bring the situation back under control. Brasília’s head of security was immediately dismissed, and public security in Brasília was placed under federal supervision by decree. (SDA)