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The 2022–2023 Brazilian election protests began shortly after the conclusion of the
2022 Brazilian general election General elections were held in Brazil on 2 October 2022 to elect the President of Brazil, president, Vice President of Brazil, vice president, the National Congress of Brazil, National Congress, the 2022 Brazilian gubernatorial elections, govern ...
's second round on 30 October, in which
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
was elected president, which led to mass protests and roadblocks nationwide. Supporters of
Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...
, who are frequently referred to in media accounts as Bolsonaristas, alleging election fraud, began blocking
road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...
s and
highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
s in the country. At least 23 Brazilian states, plus the
Federal District A federal district is a specific administrative division in one of various federations. These districts may be under the direct jurisdiction of a federation's national government, as in the case of federal territory (e.g., India, Malaysia), or the ...
, recorded roadblocks as of 1 November, adding up to at least 267 roadblocks according to data from Federal Highway Police (PRF). The protesters have in common the rejection of the election result, allegation of frauds and call for a coup or a federal or
military intervention Interventionism, in international politics, is the interference of a state or group of states into the domestic affairs of another state for the purposes of coercing that state to do something or refrain from doing something. The intervention ca ...
to reassess the elections results and even to prevent the president inauguration, which affronts the
Brazilian Constitution The Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil () is the supreme law of Brazil. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Brazil and the federal government of Brazil. It replaced the autocratic 19 ...
. These blockades have been widely criticized by entities, politicians, and authorities due to the fact that they have caused disruptions to the food supply, paralysis of the supply of products such as fuel and medicines, impediment of the citizen's right to transit, cancellation of flights, crashes, and deaths. They have also been called attacks against democracy, as they contest the electoral process and its legitimacy. The protests have since been characterized as
domestic terrorism Domestic terrorism or homegrown terrorism is a form of terrorism in which victims "within a country are targeted by a perpetrator with the same citizenship" as the victims.Gary M. Jackson, ''Predicting Malicious Behavior: Tools and Techniques ...
by part of the Brazilian media. On 8 January 2023, pro-Bolsonaro demonstrators stormed the Praça dos Três Poderes, vandalizing the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
and the
Federal Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. Senate or the Senate may also refer to: * Any one of the national senates in the world, including ** The Australian Senate ** The Brazilian Senate * ...
halls of the
National Congress of Brazil The National Congress () is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government. Unlike the state legislative assemblies and Câmara Municipal, municipal chambers, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Senate (Brazil), Federal Sena ...
in the process; protesters also invaded the
Supreme Federal Court The Federal Supreme Court (, , abbreviated STF) is the supreme court (court of last resort) of Brazil, serving primarily as the country's Constitutional Court. It is the highest court of law in Brazil for constitutional issues and its rulings ...
palace and the
Palácio do Planalto The Palácio do Brazilian Highlands, Planalto () in Brasília is the official workplace of the president of Brazil.
in an attempt to overthrow the Federal Government. The insurrection failed and the Praça was cleared by law enforcement after a few hours; several thousand Bolsonaro supporters were arrested following the event.


Background

The protests were motivated by the false belief that the
2022 Brazilian general election General elections were held in Brazil on 2 October 2022 to elect the President of Brazil, president, Vice President of Brazil, vice president, the National Congress of Brazil, National Congress, the 2022 Brazilian gubernatorial elections, govern ...
suffered from widespread electoral fraud causing
Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...
's loss. During his presidency, Bolsonaro fueled distrust in the
electoral system of Brazil The electoral system of Brazil is the set of means used to choose representatives and government members of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The current system is defined by the 1988 Constitution and the (Law No. 4,737 of 1965), in addition ...
. This was further fueled by Bolsonaro supporters alleging fraud of the electronic voting machines malfunctioning and of voting patterns they deemed suspicious, and who mistrust election officials; the military helped oversee the election and found no signs of fraud. Another reason for the protests was dislike for
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
, who had defeated Bolsonaro in the elections after his controversial convictions in
Operation Car Wash Operation Car Wash (, ) was a landmark anti-corruption probe in Brazil.Kurtenbach, S., & Nolte, D. (2017). Latin America's Fight against Corruption: The End of Impunity. GIGA Focus Lateinamerika, (03). Beginning in March 2014 as the investiga ...
had been annulled. Additionally, Bolsonaro did not recognize or accept his loss and pave the way for a
peaceful transfer of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly elected leadership. This may be after elections or during t ...
. Social media was used by supporters of Bolsonaro to spread misinformation about electoral fraud, motivating the protesters. A video published on 16 October was one of several attempts by Marcos Koury, a member of the military reserve, to incite a
general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
of truckers before the second round of elections. The idea was that drivers should paralyze Brazil to show support for Bolsonaro, who would have time to publish a provisional measure that would institute printed voting. Koury's video about the shutdowns was shared in several Bolsonaro groups on Telegram, and days later members of these same groups started advocating roadblocks after the elections. Calls for the shutdown were also made on
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
and
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.


Timeline


Road and highway blockades

Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro, including truck drivers, started blockades across the country on the night of 30 October, when the election results were announced. Until the night of 31 October, the PRF ( Federal Highway Police) had registered 321 points of blockages or agglomerations on roads in 25 states and the Federal District. The state with the highest number of blocks was Santa Catarina. The Federal Highway Police announced on 9 November that all federal highways had been cleared of roadblocks and interdictions with a total of 1,087 demonstrations being broken up. Truckers again started blockading roads on 18 November. The Federal Highway Police later stated that the new blockades were different from the previous ones, noting that protesters adopted violent methods which occurred mostly at night.


Attempted invasion of the Guarulhos Airport

On the night of October 31, at 8:00 p.m., around 50 Bolsonaro supporters closed the two runways of the Hélio Smidt Highway, which provides access to
Guarulhos International Airport Guarulhos () is a Brazilian municipality. It is the second most populous city in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, the 13th most populous city in Brazil, and is also the most populous city in the country that is not a state capital. In the las ...
, which caused delays and flight cancellations. In the early hours of November 1, protesters invaded the runway, a video captured a man wearing a Federal Highway Police uniform cutting the fence to allow Bolsonaro supporters to enter. The following day, PRF agents cleared the highway. In all, 25 flights were canceled. An internal investigation by the PRF confirmed that some agents of the corporation were in fact helping the protesters.


Standoffs with organized football club fans

On 1 November, members of the , organized fans of
Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in C ...
dispersed protesters that were interdicting the Marginal Tietê, the main highway in São Paulo, and unfurled a banner saying "We are for democracy". The following day, more fans mobilized against the blockade on the Presidente Dutra Highway (BR-116), which connects São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, dispersing the demonstrators and removing signs and flags that called for federal intervention. Members of , organized association football fans of
Atlético Mineiro Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico *Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy *Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
, also broke through roadblocks on 1 November, when fans put out tires and cleared traffic on
Rodovia Fernão Dias The Rodovia Fernão Dias (official designation BR-381 or SP-010 in the state of São Paulo) is a federal highway which runs in the Brazilian states of São Paulo and southern region of Minas Gerais. In Atibaia, the Fernão Dias highway intersec ...
(BR-381), which connects
Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...
to São Paulo. Two days later, on November 3, Império Alviverde, organized team fans from the
Coritiba Foot Ball Club Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba and colloquially referred to as heCoxa, is a List of football clubs in Brazil, Brazilian football club from Curitiba, capital city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Paraná s ...
, broke through blockades in the cities of
Mafra Mafra is a Czech media group that publishes printed and internet media, headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. From 2013 to 2023, it was a subsidiary of Agrofert holding conglomerate owned by trust of Andrej Babiš, the former Prime Ministe ...
and Papanduva, on the way back from
Caxias do Sul Caxias do Sul () is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, situated in the state's mountainous Serra Gaúcha region. It was established by Italian Brazilian, Italian immigrants on June 20, 1890. Today it is the second Largest cities in R ...
to
Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...
, after departure. The Federal Highway Police had to intervene in the conflicts.


Attacks against police and civilians

On 1 November, protesters threatened to burn alive students from the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (, UFRJ) is a public university, public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the country and is one of the Brazilian centers of excellence in teaching and r ...
(UFRJ) on the grounds that they were supposedly supporters of president-elect Lula.


= Novo Progresso riots

=
Novo Progresso Novo Progresso is a municipality in the state of Pará in the Northern region of Brazil. The city is served by Novo Progresso Airport Geography The municipality contains part of the Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve, a strict ...
was the most pro-Bolsonaro municipality in
Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...
in 2022, with Jair Bolsonaro winning 79.60% of the votes in the first round of the elections. The municipality was also known for its high deforestation rates. In 2011, part of the population entered into conflict with the
Ibama The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources ( Portuguese: ''Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis'', IBAMA) is a government agency under the administration of the Brazilian Minis ...
to defend Ezequiel Antônio Castanha, the greatest deforester of the
Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
of all time. On November 1, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) had already requested that the PF investigate and arrest the organizers and participants of the protests in the state. Protests began in the city on October 30, the day that Jair Bolsonaro's defeat at the polls was announced. On November 2, Ruan Carlos Rodrigues Porto, deputy commander of the
Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
(PM) in the city, was fired for refusing to comply with the unblocking order. 2 days later, on November 4, protesters cut down several trees to block km 332 of the
BR-163 BR-163 is a highway in Brazil, going from Tenente Portela, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, to Santarém, Pará, on 3579 kilometers (the stretch between Santarem and Brazil-Suriname border is only a project, the highway would have a total s ...
, including a
chestnut tree The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description C ...
at risk of extinction that was over a hundred years old and 30 meters tall. The highway was cleared by the PRF the following day, and the MPF asked police officers and the Ibama to investigate the case. During the standoff, police used
pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...
to disperse the population, the blockade had affected fuel supplies and the city council had cancelled classes and rubbish collection. On 7 November, Federal Highway Police officers attempted to negotiate a peaceful demobilization of the protest, but were attacked by protesters. The protesters threw stones and shot at four vehicles while shouting profanities, a child was poisoned by gas thrown by the police to contain the protesters and had to be hospitalized, one police officer was also injured during the standoff. The Shock Troops of the police were later called to participate in the unblocking. On the 19th, the highway was completely blocked again. And on the 24th, the Federal Polce carried out operation 163LIVRE, which was responsible for 10 temporary arrest warrants and another 11 search and seizure warrants for those involved in the protests for the crimes of illegal coercion, qualified damage, attacks on freedom of work, disobedience and contempt. Six people were temporarily arrested and four became fugitives, one of the fugitives, Claudia Kummer, a 48-year-old teacher and civil servant, was identified as the organizer of the protests, her defense argued that she was innocent and was not in Novo Progresso at the time of her arrest because she was undergoing surgery in
Sinop Sinop can refer to: * Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea ** Sinop Nuclear Power Plant, was planned in 2013, but cancelled in 2018 ** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port *** Russian ship ''Sinop'', Russian ships named after the ...
, even though on November 2, she had recorded a video calling for violent protests. On the 29th, the arrested were released. Later, on January 8 2023, after the riots in Brasília, protesters yet again closed the BR-163 and set fire to tires, though the protest was later dispersed by Federal Highway and Military Police.


Salute similar to the Nazi salute during protests

On 2 November, in the blockade carried out on the SC-163 highway, in
São Miguel do Oeste São Miguel do Oeste is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the southern region of Brazil, 655 km from the state capital, Florianópolis. Its population in 2022, according to the Brazilian Institute o ...
, Santa Catarina, the protesters held a solemn moment to celebrate the
Brazilian National Anthem The "Brazilian National Anthem" () was composed by Francisco Manuel da Silva in 1831 and had been given at least two sets of unofficial lyrics before a 1922 decree by president Epitácio Pessoa gave the anthem its definitive, official lyrics ...
, during which they made gestures similar to the
Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...
. Videos of the event were widely shared, and caused numerous reactions of astonishment and condemnation. The state of Santa Catarina has already registered a large expansion of
neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
groups in recent years. Earlier that year, in an operation carried out in October, members of the neo-Nazi group (New SS of Santa Catarina) were arrested. The group had melee weapons, handcrafts and 3D printers intended for the manufacture of weapons. The current deputy governor of the state, and elected federal deputy, Daniela Reinehr, is the daughter of Altair Reinehr, a notorious propagator of Nazi ideas, which the parliamentarian refuses to publicly condemn. A letter was later sent to the
Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
to investigate the threats that Reinehr began to suffer after the act. The German Embassy issued a note saying that the gesture was an "attack against Brazilian democracy". The Israeli Embassy also issued a note saying that it was concerned about the action and asked the authorities to take the necessary measures. The State Public Ministry and the Prosecutor's Office of Santa Catarina launched an investigation into the case. However, it had already informed, in a preliminary investigation, that it does not see the practice of crime, and claimed that the gesture was only an "".


Consequences

The blockades of roads and highways have affected various sectors of society, such as the meat and milk industries, partial paralysis of the meat industry, and the supply of supermarkets and gas stations. Several hospitals were also affected. There was general concern about the supply of oxygen and other supplies. Some hospitals had to cancel surgeries. The
Butantan Institute The Instituto Butantan () is a Brazilian biologic research center located in Butantã, in the western part of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Instituto Butantan is a public institution affiliated with the São Paulo State Secretariat of Health ...
informed that a load of eggs that will be used to produce vaccines against the flu is stuck in a blockade near
Jundiaí Jundiaí is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil, located north of São Paulo. The population of the city is 443,221, with an area ...
, 47 km from
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. If the cargo does not arrive at Butantan, which is located in the west zone of São Paulo, the production of 1.5 million doses of the immunizer against
H3N2 Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 (A/H3N2) is a subtype of influenza A virus (IAV). Some human-adapted strains of A/H3N2 are endemic in humans and are one cause of seasonal influenza (flu). Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs ( swine influen ...
may be compromised. By 9:30 UTC−3 on 1 November, around 25 flights had been canceled at the
São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport The São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport , commonly known as São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, is the primary international airport serving São Paulo, located in the municipality of Guarulhos, i ...
due to the blockade of the Helio Smidt highway by Bolsonarists. The blockades have caused fatal accidents, as in Várzea Grande, Mato Grosso, where a driver died when his car collided with a truck stopped at a roadblock on
BR-364 BR-364 is an inter-state highway in Brazil connecting the southeast state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo to the western state of Acre (state), Acre. The highway was opened in the 1960s and paved in the 1980s. It has brought economic development ...
. In
Ipatinga Ipatinga is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality located in the interior of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. Situated in the Vale do Rio Doce (meso ...
, Minas Gerais, a motorcyclist died and a woman on the back was injured after crashing into a tanker truck on the urban stretch of BR-381. At the time of the collision, the truck was maneuvering to return after being blocked at a roadblock. In
Mirassol Mirassol is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The city is located in the northern part of the state, 453 km from the city of São Paulo and 15 km from São José do Rio Preto. Mirassol has 60,303 inhabitants (IBGE/2020). ...
, São Paulo, a driver ran over protesters on the Washington Luís Highway, leaving 17 injured, including two children.


Street protests

The protests on the roads lost strength on 3 November, But supporters of Jair Bolsonaro started concentrating in the vicinity of
Brazilian Armed Forces The Brazilian Armed Forces (, ) are the unified Military, military forces of the Brazil, Federative Republic of Brazil. Consisting of three Military branch, service branches, it comprises the Brazilian Army (including the Brazilian Army Aviati ...
facilities, such as
Military barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...
and
Tiro de Guerra Tiro or TIRO may also refer to: People * Marcus Tullius Tiro (died 4 BC), a slave, later freedman, of Cicero who was frequently mentioned in Cicero's letters * Abram Onkgopotse Tiro (1945–1974), a South African student activist and black consci ...
buildings, in acts and
vigil A vigil, from the Latin meaning 'wakefulness' ( Greek: , or ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word has become generalized in this sense and means 'eve' (as in "on t ...
s against the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva since then. The movement is spread across the country and has no defined national leaders. Demonstrations were recorded at military installations in the cities of
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
,
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
,
Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
,
Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...
,
Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...
,
Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
, among other Brazilian cities and regions. Protesters camped to call for a military coup to prevent the inauguration of
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
in some cities. Reports sent by the Military, Civil and Federal Police and by Public Ministries in the states and in the Federal District to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) indicate that politicians, police, unionists and ruralists encourage and finance the protests and that most of the demonstrators are
elderly Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...
, with a small presence of young people and families. During the Republic Proclamation Day on 15 November, Bolsonaro supporters held protests across the country. The federal government stated on 11 January that it had prepared for more protests, after messages appeared on pro-Bolsonaro social media channels calling for large protests in Brazilian cities to "retake power". No major protests were however held.


Fake news

False or old images of
battle tanks ''Battle Tanks'' (or ''Tank Battles'' outside of North America) is a multidirectional shooter developed and published by Gameloft for the PlayStation 3. It was released on the PlayStation Store PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital di ...
on the streets were spread. Bolsonaro supporters protesting in front of the Eastern Military Command ( RJ) celebrated and cried after hearing that a "federal intervention" was decreed and that TSE's minister Alexandre de Moraes was "arrested for fraud in the
electronic voting machines An electronic voting machine is a voting machine based on electronics. Two main technologies exist: '' optical scanning'' and '' direct recording'' (DRE). Optical scanning In an optical scan voting system, or marksense, each voter's choice ...
", this was later confirmed as being
fake news Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information (misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes) claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person ...
. The false information that
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
would actually be the "prime minister" of the
International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...
located in The Hague went viral on Twitter. The hoax was accompanied by a montage in which the singer appeared to participate in a videoconference with Jair Bolsonaro and claimed that Stefani Germanotta, which is Gaga's real name, was analyzing cases of electoral fraud in Brazil. The International Criminal Court does not hold that post, and Gaga is not a part of the International Criminal Court. False information about the alleged death of
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
were also spread online.


Violence and attempted terrorist attacks

On 12 December, after Lula's electoral victory was officially ratified by Brazilian courts, militant hard-right Bolsonaro supporters stormed the
Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
headquarters in Brasilia and torched vehicles on the street after one of the protesters was arrested for inciting violence in order to prevent the swearing-in of Lula. The police used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse them. A bombing attempt near the
Brasília International Airport Brasília–President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport () , also known as the Brasília International Airport, is the international airport serving Brasília, located in the Administrative regions of the Federal District (Brazil), admin ...
was prevented by the police on 23 December, and the suspect was arrested a day later. According to his testimony, he was motivated by Bolsonaro casting doubts at the integrity of the election process in past. On 29 December the police tried removing protestors from around the
Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army (; EB) is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordina ...
headquarters, but were forced to withdraw after they turned violent. A man carrying an explosive device (presumably fireworks) and a knife was arrested on 1 January 2023 while trying to enter the esplanade of Brasília, where government officials and Lula supporters were attending his inauguration. Bolsonaro supporters stormed the buildings of the
National Congress National Congress is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures. Political parties *Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress, original name of the Oromo People's Congress *Guyana: People's National Congress Reform *India: **In ...
,
Palácio da Alvorada The Palácio da Alvorada () is the official residence of the president of Brazil. It is located in the national capital of Brasília, on a peninsula at the margins of Paranoá Lake. The building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and built betwee ...
and the
Supreme Federal Court The Federal Supreme Court (, , abbreviated STF) is the supreme court (court of last resort) of Brazil, serving primarily as the country's Constitutional Court. It is the highest court of law in Brazil for constitutional issues and its rulings ...
on 8 January and clashed with the police. The rioters smashed some of the property inside the three buildings, publicly urinated and defecated, while the police used pepper spray and tear gas against them. President Lula was not present at the presidential palace when it was stormed. The federal government estimated the total number of intruders in the three buildings as around 5,000. All three federal buildings were later cleared with more than 1,500 people arrested. 684 of them were later released on humanitarian grounds.


Financing

Demands for an investigation into possible funding for the blockades and demonstrations have grown, mainly due to the circulation of videos of organized stalls serving drinks and food, including barbecues. there are suspicions of hidden funding enabling, or even demanding, the stoppage of truck drivers involved in the demonstrations. The Attorney General of Justice of São Paulo also affirmed the suspicions of financing by businessmen, adding that there are already suspects and evidence. Businessmen from several states financed caravans to Brasília to reinforce the protests calling for a military intervention in front of the army's headquarters in the city, more than 70 trucks with the Brazilian flag arrived on November 6 and 7, entrepreneurs from the municipality of Água Boa, in Mato Grosso, organized a joint action by sending 23 trucks, twelve trucks bore the name of Agritex, a reseller of agricultural machinery, parts and equipment, another seven vehicles displayed the logo of Grupo Comelli, from Rio Verde, in Goiás, a company specialized in biomass processing, in all, vehicle license plates are from at least four states:
Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...
,
Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...
,
Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...
and Santa Catarina. On 3 November, the Military Police of Alagoas delivered a report to the STF identifying
WhatsApp WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger) is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate Meta. It allows users to send text, voice messages and video messages, make vo ...
and Telegram groups and the leaders involved in the state's acts. The police concluded that the leaderships are not centralized; The leadership of Kayo Gustavo Fragoso Carneiro da Cunha stands out, candidate for federal deputy in the general elections of 2022. On November 8, the Public Ministries of São Paulo, Santa Catarina and
Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attracti ...
also made complaints to the TSE about financing part of businessmen, municipal buses that transported the demonstrators and financing by Pix. In Espírito Santo, businessmen sold their products during the protests. In Santa Catarina, there was the participation of politicians, including a councilor. On the same day, the Civil Police of Paraná sent a report denouncing a councilor and several former councillors, a municipal attorney, an advisor to a federal deputy and numerous businessmen in organizing and financing the protests. Among them are Aurélio Ramos de Oliveira Neto, Sandro Nascimento Ferreira Branco and
Éder Mauro Éder Mauro Cardoso Barra (born 14 December 1960), better known as Delegado Éder Mauro or simply Éder Mauro, is a Brazilian politician and police chief. He has spent his political career representing Pará, having served as federal deputy repre ...
. On 12 November, the MPF asked the Minister of Defense,
Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira (born 28 September 1958, in Iguatu) is a Brazilian Army general who served as Ministry of Defence (Brazil), minister of defence of Brazil. Military career From the Military School of Fortaleza, he started his mi ...
, to identify those responsible for calling and financing the protests. On 17 November, Minister Alexandre de Moraes decided to block 43 bank accounts of
individual An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from other people and possessing one's own needs or g ...
s and
legal entities In law, a legal person is any person or legal entity that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason for the term "''legal'' person" is t ...
suspected of financing anti-democratic acts. The magistrate explained:


Luciano Hang

Initially, rumors circulated linking businessman
Luciano Hang Luciano Hang (; born 11 October 1962) is a Brazilian billionaire businessman, the co-founder of the Havan department store chain, which he owns nearly all of. Bloomberg LP have called him "a free-market evangelist and arguably Jair Bolsonaro's m ...
to the organization and financing of the demonstrations, mainly due to the preference of the protesters to carry out concentrations in front of chain stores Havan, the businessman denied contributing to the organization of the movement. However, it was confirmed in a report by
Agência Pública Agência Pública is a Brazilian investigative and independent journalism agency. It was founded in 2011 by the reporters Marina Amaral, Natália Viana and Tatiana Merlino. It is currently run by Marina Amaral and Natália Viana. Agência Públic ...
, which had exclusive access to documents from the Federal Highway Police, that the chain of stores Havan sent its service trucks to the roadblocks roads, along with Transben Transportes, a company named after his wife, Andrea Benvenutti Hang, Hang's sister-in-law and father-in-law, and Premix Concreto. The companies organized the trucks to KM 83 of the BR-101, in
Barra Velha Barra Velha is a resort town and county seat of about 30,000 inhabitants in the Northern region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Its nine beaches extend from the Rio Itapocu in the North to the resort town of Piçarras on its Southern border. Additional ...
, for a protest that took place in front of the Maiochi gas station, close to a Havan store. In
Palhoça Palhoça is a municipality in Santa Catarina, Brazil. History Palhoça was founded in 1793, when the city was part of the way between Lages and Florianópolis in order to protect the capital state from possible invasions. Its name comes from " ...
, an Havan store even offered chairs, benches, access to the bathroom and electrical connection for the speakers to the protesters.


Emílio Dalçoquio Neto

The businessman and founder of the "Lux Institute", Emílio Dalçoquio Neto, has been pointed out by reports from the Federal Highway Police that were publicized by the media, as a leader of the blockades and organized acts in the state of Santa Catarina, also participating in national mobilization networks. Dalçoquio is identified in several videos making speeches to encourage protests, as he also owns several vehicles used in the blockades. Emílio is already known for his participation in the Truck drivers' strike in 2018, which led to an investigation of the carrier ''Dalçoquio'' by the Federal Police for preventing the return of the company's activities as a way to influence the negotiations and context of the strike, a crime known as "locaute". The company had even sent a letter supporting the strikes.


Criticism of the responses by the Military and Federal Highway Polices

On the day of the blockades, the PRF activated the (AGU) to ensure the flow of roads, but the AGU responded that the PRF could act without authorization from the agency. The PRF released a statement saying that it "has adopted all measures to return the flow to normal", and that it is prioritizing dialogue to ensure the right to protest. Some people criticized the apparent inaction of the PRF, which the day before conducted operations considered illegal throughout the country. Several videos were released in which the policemen said that they would not do anything about the blockade. In one, the policeman states that the order was only to monitor the demonstrations. The
Supreme Federal Court The Federal Supreme Court (, , abbreviated STF) is the supreme court (court of last resort) of Brazil, serving primarily as the country's Constitutional Court. It is the highest court of law in Brazil for constitutional issues and its rulings ...
(STF) ordered that the PRF immediately unblock the roads under penalty of R$100,000 per hour to General Director . Minister
Alexandre de Moraes Alexandre de Moraes (; born 13 December 1968) is a Brazilian jurist, former politician, former president of the Superior Electoral Court and currently justice of the Supreme Federal Court. Moraes was appointed to the Supreme Court by President M ...
issued a note on 31 October, urging the PRF to take "all necessary and sufficient measures" to open the roads. The determination cites the "omissive" and "inert" posture of Director-General Silvinei Vasques. The letter states the possibility of removal of the director if he fails to comply with the determination. Besides the PRF, the president of the TSE demanded the collaboration of other public security forces to clear the roads. Videos circulated of PRF officers allying themselves with the protesters. Newspapers reported that the tone of the policemen is one of leniency. The PRF directorate said that it did not send any support orders and that procedures will be opened to investigate the cases of police officers who did so. The police officers have not been removed, as the organization believes it needs as many people as possible to act during the protests. In December 2022, members of the Military Police of Mato Grosso who were eating in a camp set up by Protesters in front of the 13th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Military Command West, in
Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city and the largest city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America and also forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várz ...
, approached and detained students who filmed them without clear accusation.


Reactions


Politicians and social movements

Deputies
Nikolas Ferreira Nikolas Ferreira de Oliveira (born Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1996) is a Brazilian politician affiliated to the Liberal Party (PL). Currently serving as Member of the Chamber of Deputies, he was elected for a 4-year term in 2022, being the most v ...
of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
(PL),
Daniel Silveira Daniel Lucio da Silveira (born 25 November 1982) is a former Rio de Janeiro Military Police officer and Brazilian politician, previously affiliated with the PSL, UNIÃO, and PTB parties. He was a federal deputy for the state of Rio de Janeir ...
of the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB), and
Carla Zambelli Carla Zambelli Salgado de Oliveira (born 3 July 1980) is a Italo-Brazilian right-wing activist and politician. Founder of the movement On the Streets, Zambelli gained notoriety through her activism in favor of the impeachment of the ex-presiden ...
of the PL supported and encouraged the actions of the Bolsonarists who are blocking the roads. Ferreira wrote that "a soldier who goes to war and is afraid to die is a coward". Senator
Simone Tebet Simone Nassar Tebet (; born 22 February 1970) is a Brazilian academic, lawyer, and politician who has served as the Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management (Brazil), Minister of Planning and Budget since 5 January 2023. She previo ...
of the
Brazilian Democratic Movement The Brazilian Democratic Movement (, MDB) is a Brazilian political party. It is considered a " big tent party" and it is one of the parties with the greatest representation throughout the national territory, with the most numbers of senators, ...
, who was defeated in the first round, said that roadblocks by supporters of Bolsonaro are "antidemocratic" and that the "moment now is for peace and unity". Brazil's incoming president,
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
, has vowed to punish protesters who stormed into Congress, The Supreme Court, and the Presidential Palace. 45 hours after the end of the second round, Bolsonaro gave a brief speech, saying: "Peaceful demonstrations will always be welcome, but our methods cannot be those of the left, which have always harmed the population, such as invading property, destroying heritage, and curtailing the right to transit." The next day, he recorded a video for supporters asking for the clearing of highways. The vice president,
Hamilton Mourão Antônio Hamilton Martins Mourão (; born 15 August 1953) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who served as the 25th vice president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. Mourão served in the Brazilian Army for almost five decades from ...
, recognized the legitimacy of the election result, discarded the "possibility of fraud", repudiated the demonstrations and advised the participants to "put the ball down", and concluded that "it's no use crying anymore". The
Homeless Workers' Movement The Homeless Workers Movement (, MTST) is a social movement in Brazil. It originated from the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (). Although the MTST can trace its first urban activism efforts to the occupation of Campinas in São P ...
(MTST) has instructed its militants to organize demonstrations to unblock the main access roads, and also not to clash with the protesters. The PT president
Gleisi Hoffmann Gleisi Helena Hoffmann (; born 6 September 1965) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician. She was the Chief of Staff of Brazil from 8 June 2011 to 2 February 2014, during the presidency of Dilma Rousseff. Following her tenure as Chief of Staff, she ...
said that the state is the one that should deal with the protests, and declared that the new government would maintain dialogue with the truck drivers.


Superior Electoral Court

The
Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...
sent several court orders to shut down the Telegram and
WhatsApp WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger) is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate Meta. It allows users to send text, voice messages and video messages, make vo ...
groups, as well as the TikTok and YouTube channels, which were used to organize protests urging the military to invoke article 142 of the
Constitution of Brazil The Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil () is the Constitution, supreme law of Brazil. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Brazil and the federal government of Brazil. It replaced the ...
to stage a coup. The orders were heeded by the technology companies. Among those who had their social networks blocked are
Carla Zambelli Carla Zambelli Salgado de Oliveira (born 3 July 1980) is a Italo-Brazilian right-wing activist and politician. Founder of the movement On the Streets, Zambelli gained notoriety through her activism in favor of the impeachment of the ex-presiden ...
, Adrilles Jorge, Cabo Gilberto Silva, José Medeiros, Monark and Nikolas Ferreira. Zambelli created new accounts, which were also taken down. Then said that she would report the case to the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the IACHR or, in the three other official languages Spanish, French, and Portuguese language, Portuguese CIDH, ''Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos'', ''Commission Interaméricaine des ...
(IACHR). The social network
Gettr Gettr (stylized GETTR) is an alt-tech social media platform and microblogging site targeting American conservatives. It was founded by Jason Miller, a former Donald Trump aide, and was officially launched on July 4, 2021. Its user interface an ...
asked the STF for access to the process that determined the blocking of Zambelli on the platform.


Supreme Federal Court

The STF held Bolsonaro responsible for the protests and ordered the immediate unblocking of the roads. Moraes also considered the actions of the PRF as omissive and inert.


Truck drivers

Leaders of organizations of the truckers category made different statements about the movement. Wallace Landim, also known as Chorão, president of the Brazilian Association of Drivers of Motor Vehicles (Abrava), repudiated the blockades. The president of the Parliamentary Mixed Front for the Defense of Independent and Full-Time Truck Drivers, , affirmed that there are no plans to paralyze the category as a whole. The president of the Ourinhos Truck Drivers Union confirmed the mobilization of the category for strikes. The mobilization has taken place mainly through Telegram groups, and counts on independent leaders from the main entities of the category.


Engineering Society of Rio Grande do Sul

On 30 November 2022, the issued a note calling for a military coup and the suspension of the inauguration of the elected president, Due to the note, considered by many to be anti-democratic, the Society was denounced to the STF.


International media

The roadblocks have had great repercussions in the international media, being highlighted as "disturbances". The French newspaper ''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'' highlighted the "potentially deleterious consequences" that these blockades will cause to Brazil's economy, British broadcaster
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
cited the protests as causing "considerable disturbance" to the daily lives of Brazilians, The Italian ''
La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...
'' pointed to Bolsonaro's "absolute silence" while Brazil was "in flames", American newspaper ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said that the road protests "echoes Bolsonaro's baseless claims before the election", while ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' reported the fact that the roadblocks have been organized by pro-Bolsonaro
Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
channels.


See also

*
2022–2023 Peruvian political protests The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
* 2022 Brazilian attempted coup plot *
Police operations in the 2022 Brazilian general election Police operations in the 2022 Brazilian general election were coordinated actions carried out by the Federal Police of Brazil and the Federal Highway Police (Brazil), Federal Highway Police, mainly during the second round of the 2022 Brazilian pr ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2022-2023 Brazilian election protests
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
2022 elections in Brazil October 2022 in Brazil November 2022 in Brazil December 2022 in Brazil January 2023 in Brazil
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
Protests in Brazil Far-right politics in Brazil Jair Bolsonaro Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Riots and civil disorder in Brazil Arson in Brazil