Brazil’s outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro in the clearest evidence thus far that he intends to oversee a peaceful transition of power after “Lula” da Silva’s election win has urged his supporters to “unblock the roads” as mass demonstrations continue.
On Wednesday chants across pro-Bolsonaro gatherings could be heard calling for military intervention, as they are calling the integrity of the election into question. These rallies over the past couple days have began growing in front of military installations. The huge size and extent of the protests have many political leaders concerned over the possibility of instability before Lula takes office on January 1st.
AFP reporters have heard chants of “Federal intervention now!” among thousands gathered in front of the Southeastern Military Command in Sao Paulo.
Bolsonaro addressed the unrest in a Wednesday speech, as frustration grows over lengthening traffic jams and supply chain problems outside of Brazil’s largest cities:
“I want to make an appeal to them: Unblock the roads,” Bolsonaro said late Wednesday. The blockages do “not seem to me to be part of legitimate demonstrations.”
“Other demonstrations that are taking place throughout Brazil in squares… are part of the democratic game. They are welcome,” he added.
Bolsonaro had been silent from Sunday until giving a very brief concession speech on Tuesday, except he neither congratulated Lula nor admitted defeat. However, his chief of staff did confirm there would be a transition to a new government.
But violence has begun to break out, including the below shocking scene on Wednesday in which a man in a speeding car plowed through a crowd of Bolsonaro supporters…
🟥 BREAKING NEWS – BRAZIL: Several people hit by a car during peaceful demonstrations in Mirassol, state of Sao Paulo. [GRAPHIC CONTENT] pic.twitter.com/ZlsnXSXHHx
— Direto da América (@DiretoDaAmerica) November 2, 2022
Few official details have been given by Brazilian authorities, even as the footage goes viral. According to one regional report:
Multiple people, including two police officers, were injured on Wednesday after a car drove into a road blockade set up by supporters of President Bolsonaro.
It is not clear what the motives of the driver were, who was seemingly brought to a stop by police at gunpoint.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
No one was reported killed at the scene, however there may have been over a dozen injuries, with at least two people hospitalized with serious injuries, local reports say.
Brazilian patriots besiege the military command in Rio de Janeiro. They ask the military leaders to arrest Lula: "We will not allow a corrupt criminal to rule us!" Mass protests across Brazil. pic.twitter.com/z5DSVbOFhI
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) November 2, 2022
Protesters say they are coming under attack by far-Left agitators and Lula supporters. Into Thursday, there are reports that the demonstrations and road blockages have begun to disperse in some areas, however, photographs and footage from major cities continue to reveal very large groups in central squares.
The rhetoric has also grown fiercer from both sides, especially as the pro-Bolsonaro protests call on the military to “arrest” future president Lula. ZH reports
Earlier, Jake Johnson writes: Thousands of the outgoing Brazilian president’s far-right supporters called on the military to intervene as Bolsonaro refuses to admit his defeat to leftist President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Associated Press reported that thousands attended the rally, where Bolsonaro loyalists chanted “Armed forces, save Brazil!” and carried signs demanding a “federal intervention” following the president’s narrow defeat in Sunday’s runoff election.
The demonstration came a day after Bolsonaro, in his first public remarks since his defeat in Sunday’s contest, refused to directly concede defeat but pledged to “follow all the commandments of our constitution,” a signal that he would allow the presidential transition to move forward.
“The army is on our side,” Bolsonaro said during a July campaign event.
But AP noted that while “the military has taken on an ample role under Bolsonaro,” it “has remained silent in the month since the first round of the election, a sign it is likely distancing itself from the ex-army captain.”
Bolsonaro reportedly met with the heads of the Brazilian Navy and Air Force on Tuesday as his supporters wreaked havoc on the nation’s streets, setting tires on fire and blocking roads.
During his brief public statement, Bolsonaro said his supporters’ actions stemmed from “indignation and a feeling of injustice about how the electoral process played out.”
Thomas Traumann, a Brazilian journalist and political analyst, told The Guardian on Tuesday that he believes Bolsonaro “is clearly afraid of prison… so what he’s trying to do is negotiate with the only card he has left, which is big street protests.”
The Guardian noted that “after leaving power Bolsonaro, could find himself exposed to a multitude of possible investigations and charges relating to fake news, anti-democratic behavior, alleged corruption, and his handling of a Covid pandemic which killed nearly 700,000 Brazilians.”
“On Tuesday night, Bolsonaro was reportedly locked in talks with at least six members of the supreme court as part of that supposed negotiation,” the newspaper reported. “One prominent political journalist, Guilherme Amado, said the president planned to ‘request that neither he nor his family be persecuted’ once he stepped down.”, Jake Johnson concludes.