Rodrigo Luiz Parreira was arrested for allegedly masterminding the attack. In June, at a Lula rally in the city of Uberlandia, a drone flew overhead, releasing a liquid that reeked of feces and urine, according to witnesses. In July, a man threw a homemade explosive device filled with feces into a crowd of Lula supporters at a campaign event in Rio de Janeiro. Ten years of troubles have resulted in stark political polarization - embodied by Lula and Bolsonaro - that has become increasingly menacing on the campaign trail. Bolsonaro's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic added to one of the world's worst death tolls. A record economic slump drove the impeachment of his successor, Dilma Rousseff. A vast corruption scandal jailed Lula until his convictions were overturned. Once seen as a rising superpower, Brazil has suffered a turbulent decade. "I believe in the (stockpiling) hypothesis because we've seen it in other countries, and other elections," said Bruno Langeani, a firearms expert at the Sou da Paz Institute, citing an uptick in arms sales during the 2020 U.S. Nearly $57 million worth of revolvers and pistols have been imported so far in 2022, up from less than $12 million in all of 2018. Handgun imports to Brazil climbed this year to their highest value since records began in 1997, trade data show. But it also seems ordinary Brazilians are stockpiling firearms in case Lula wins and fulfills a vow to "disarm" Brazil. Reuters reported this month that Brazilian gangsters are increasingly using legally acquired CAC weapons to commit crimes. In July, they warned the deluge of guns inspired "well-founded fears about what could happen amid possible violent protests" around the election. Capitol." This month, in a decision upheld by a majority of the court, he suspended some of Bolsonaro's executive orders that have contributed to a surge in gun ownership, citing "the risk of political violence."įederal prosecutors in Sao Paulo have also expressed concern about the sixfold increase in weapons permits for hunters and hobbyists - known as CACs - since Bolsonaro began loosening firearms laws in 2019. In July, Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin said Brazil "may experience an episode even more severe than the Jan. President Donald Trump's strategy of refusing to accept defeat.īrazil's democratic institutions, which are regularly lambasted by the president and his allies, are girding for the prospect of chaotic and potentially violent demonstrations. After months of sowing doubts about Brazil's voting system, many fear Bolsonaro will follow former U.S. If the lead-up to the vote is tense, many fret its aftermath could be worse. "The people who support Bolsonaro are very aggressive."īolsonaro's office did not respond to a request for comment. "I don't wear red in public anymore," said Gabriel Oliveira, referring to the PT's trademark color, at a recent Lula campaign event in the southern Bolsonaro stronghold of Florianopolis. Nearly 70% of Brazilians say they are scared of being physically assaulted because of their political or party preference, according to a Datafolha poll released this month. With just days to go until the first-round vote, the country is on edge. Police have sought to investigate one Bolsonaro supporter for fantasizing online about the murder of Lula and another for using the leftist's image for target practice. In at least two cases, Bolsonaristas were arrested for launching suspected fecal matter at Lula events. On Saturday, a man walked into a bar in northeastern Brazil and shouted "Who here is a Lula voter?" before stabbing to death the man who responded, "I am," according to Ceara state police. This month, a Bolsonarista killed and nearly decapitated a Lula supporter in rural Brazil during a heated political debate, police reported. Federal university UNIRIO's Electoral Investigation Group reported 214 politicized assaults in the first half of 2022, up 23% compared with the same period in 2020.Ĭritics accuse Bolsonaro of arming his supporters and incentivizing violence against his leftist foes. Electoral courts flagged a jump in assaults on candidates from the 2018 election to the 2020 cycle. Yet Bolsonaro has also overseen a sharp rise in political attacks.
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