Authorities brace for possible repeat of uprising

BRASILIA (AP):

Brazil’s capital prepared for the possibility of more violent demonstrations on Wednesday by people seeking to overturn the presidential election, with local security officials blocking access to buildings trashed four days earlier by a horde of rioters.

A flyer promoting a “mega-protest to retake power” circulated on social media platforms, particularly Telegram, and urged protesters to turn out in two dozen cities, including the capital. It was unclear how large or violent such demonstrations might shape up to be, but skittish authorities took no chances.

Speaking to journalists in Brasilia, the federal appointee who has assumed control of the capital’s security said the police were shutting down the main avenue to traffic and limiting pedestrian access with barricades. They are blocking all access to the square that was the site of Sunday’s mayhem, said the official, Ricarado Cappelli.

He said a small area on the avenue has been reserved for peaceful demonstrations, but will be surrounded by police and the national guard, and all protesters will be searched upon entry.

“The right to protest freely will always be respected and cannot be confused with terrorism,” Cappelli said.

Citing the call to action on social media, a Supreme Court justice ordered local authorities in cities across Brazil to prevent protesters from blocking roads or occupying public spaces and buildings. Justice Alexandre de Moraes also ordered arrests and fines for people and companies who participate or help with logistics and funding.

The nation remains on edge after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro rampaged through Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace on Sunday, laying ruin to the government’s three most important buildings. Officials arrested or detained some 1,500 people by the following morning, hundreds of whom were sent to prison.

Though there is no evidence of fraud in the October 30, 2022 presidential election, the protesters have claimed the true winner was far-right Bolsonaro. He has fired up his base about the vulnerability of electronic voting machines, despite independent experts’ assurances they are closely scrutinized. Bolsonaro also has warned his supporters that the election’s leftist victor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, would impose communism.

The fresh call for an uprising on Wednesday sparked concern that the crackdown hadn’t damped the will of radicals. Among those who vow to continue struggling is Daniel Bressan, 35, who travelled some 300 miles from the interior of Parana state to join Sunday’s protest in Brasilia. He was detained by police the next morning, though he denies participating in any of the vandalism.

“A lot of people are going to be afraid to go to the streets and be arrested – I myself fear persecution by the legal system – but I’m not going to stop fighting and I’m not going to get discouraged,” Bressan said by phone from the federal police’s temporary holding centre. “I’m ready for everything. Our freedom is worth more than our lives.”