Groups of truckers are blocking a highway in Rio de Janeiro this Tuesday ANDRÉ COELHO (EFE)
The street chaos sparked by Bolsonaro protesters in different parts of Brazil has forced state authorities to mobilize the police. The leaders of the country’s three most populous states, allies of President Jair Bolsonaro, have deployed the security forces to comply with a federal court order calling for the “immediate” release of the closed lines of communication. Protests by groups of truckers and other supporters of the president against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory have affected more than 300 freeways in twenty states.
After hours of blockades on the streets, state authorities have hit the table. São Paulo governor Rodrigo Garcia, who backed Bolsonaro in the second round, told a crisis cabinet that the blockades were “inadmissible”. “The election is over,” said Romeu Zema of Minas Gerais, another ally of the current president. The government of Rio de Janeiro has also sent state police to clear the streets. In some cases, security forces have used tear gas to disperse protesters.
The mobilization of the governors corresponds to a decision by the Federal Court of Justice, which requires the release of the freeways and, in addition, authorizes the state police to intervene on all types of roads, including federal roads. According to the decision, truckers who resist are threatened with a fine of 100,000 reais per hour, around 20,000 euros. Minister Alexandre de Moraes has also warned the director of the federal highway police, Silvinei Vasques, a declared Bolsonarist, that he could be arrested if he did not comply with the order.
Hundreds of blockades have been registered since Bolsonaro’s election defeat on Sunday evening. Roads affected at times include the main highway between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and the one that connects that city to Garulhos International Airport, the country’s largest, which had to cancel 25 flights as of morning Tuesday.
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At the São Paulo bus station, companies stopped selling tickets to Rio de Janeiro. Those trying to make the journey on Monday afternoon had to return to the starting point and travelers staying overnight at the station. The blockades are now affecting the transport of agricultural products. The Brazilian Confederation of Supermarkets, in a statement shared with CNN, highlighted the “supply difficulties” and asked Bolsonaro for “assistance” to resolve the situation.
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The protagonists of the blockades are the most radical supporters of Bolsonaro. While much of Bolsonarianism’s public figure has already acknowledged the results, there is a base on the extreme right that insists on denying defeat and even calls for military intervention to prevent the transition. “This is our country! Long live democracy!” shouted the demonstrators, wrapped in Brazilian flags, on the way to São Paulo airport. The trucking sector is one of the most loyal to the President, who has benefited them with subsidies to buy fuel and a relaxation of traffic rules.
Lula’s Labor Party blames Bolsonaro for the chaos on the streets. The formation’s president, Gleisi Hoffmann, said the president was looking for “a political target.” He also branded the director of the Federal Road Police as a “criminal”, whom he accuses of complacency in the blockades. “He is damaging the image of the police and Bolsonaro continues to damage the image of Brazil,” he wrote. The Homeless Workers’ Movement, an association that supports Lula, has called on its militants to demonstrate to try to open the streets.
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