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According to information released by the Federal Highways Police (PRF) on Friday (25/11), all blockades have been removed from federal highways. However, protests in front of Military barracks remain.
New Wave of Protests on Highways
On Friday (18/11), supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro started to mobilize themselves to promote a new wave of blockades on federal highways against a decision by Federal Supreme Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes to block the bank accounts of 43 businessmen suspected of funding the protests that began after Lula’s election. Those involved in this movement also complain about the fines given to them as punishment for blocking the roads.
Due to its main motivation, when this new wave of demonstrations on the roads began, it was speculated that it would be the case of a lockout promoted by businessmen that were punished by the STF. The fact was not yet confirmed.
Most acts promoted during the second wave took place in states where President Jair Bolsonaro received the majority of votes: Mato Grosso, Santa Catarina and Rondônia.
A More Violent Phase
According to media sources, this week, the protests on the roads and in front of Military barracks escalated in terms of violence. Therefore, authorities became more concerned with them. For instance, the Public Ministry of the State of Rondônia is investigating an attack on the water distribution system of Ariquemes, which could be a case of terrorism. In this city, the water distribution to part of the population was suspended after demonstrators destroyed the main water pipe that is connected to local reservoirs.
In Santa Catarina, the Federal Highway Police (PRF) compared the method of attacks carried out on local roads to those of terrorist organizations and the black blocs. The escalation of violence includes actions led by hooded and armed men, the use of homemade bombs, looting and vandalism of trucks. There are also records of attacks on PRF agents and truck drivers, including one who was hit by stones when trying to break through one of the roadblocks.
In Mato Grosso, on Saturday night (19/11), an armed group of ten men invaded, shot and set fire to trucks at the base of the Rota do Oeste – the company that manages thew road – in Lucas do Rio Verde. On Sunday night (20), in Sinop, two parked trucks had their windshields hit by shots at a gas station on the banks of BR-163, in the urban area of the city. According to Via Brasil – the company that manages thew road –, one of their employees was surrendered inside a vehicle in Itaúba on Monday (21). He had his uniform and vehicle stolen by a criminal, who then used the items to close the highway with two tank trucks that were torched in the middle of the highway. The employee was kidnapped and released in Cláudia, about 120 km from the place.
Arrests
At least 11 protesters have been arrested at illegal state roadblocks in recent days in Mato Grosso. Three of them were detained on Monday (21) in the concentration of a demonstration in the municipality of Cacoal with firearms and tools to damage tires.
November’s Protest
The current set of protests began just after the defeat of President Jair Bolsonaro to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Supporters of the current president mobilized to close several highways across the country. Later, they also started to occupy areas in front of Military barracks with a very organized structure and the presence of equipment belonging to companies, such as trucks.
People that adhered to the movement believe that the elections were rigged and that in fact Jair Bolsonaro won, instead of Lula. They also believe the Military should exert a role of “moderator” and carry out what they call a “federal intervention”, which they argue would be backed by article nº 142 of the Constitution. However, this article only provides this mechanism in case of an intervention to states of the federation that are under specific conditions. It was the case of Rio de Janeiro, which was helped by a military intervention due to a wave of public violence in 2018. Therefore, for critics, politicians from many political spectrums, and authorities, the movement is an antidemocratic action that attempts a Military coup.
For many political commentators, the movement was strongly influenced by several statements made by President Bolsonaro in which he claimed that the Brazilian electoral system is fraudulent and that it had been rigged before, even though no evidence has been shown so far. In 2021, he even led a campaign to change the voting system for it to print the votes, claiming it would be safer.
The proposal was defeated but new initiatives kept appearing. Among them there was the inclusion of the Armed Forces in the Electoral Commission, which ended up leading to the creation of a report about the polls. The document had the objective to clarify if there was fraud in the elections or not. The military released it in November, but it did not put an end to the fraud claims. While the document informed that no fraud was detected, it also said that frauds could not be ruled out.
In addition to the factors aforementioned, media sources also indicated other sources of energy that have fueled the movement, such as fake news and social media groups that have been used to organize the actions.
Liberal Party (PL) Report
For critics, the most recent initiative perpetrated to stimulate the protest was a report disclosed by the Liberal Party, which requests the annulment of electronic voting machines manufactured before 2020. The party claims that the absence of the serial code in the “logbook” of these older equipment would make them impossible to monitor.
