Less than three months from presidential election, the debate on the political intolerance in Brazil increased after a PT member was murdered by a Bolsonarista. The crime occurred in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, during Marcelo Aloizio Arruda's 50th birthday party, which had as its theme the Workers' Party (PT).
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Different authorities spoke about what happened*, which is added to a series of cases of political violence. A survey by the Locomotiva Institute revealed that 25% of Brazilians have political intolerance.
“For Brazil to smile again”
The phrase was printed on the party's main decoration poster, with the figure of former president Lula. Marcelo Arruda was a municipal guard and treasurer of the PT, and was shot by federal penitentiary officer Jorge José da Rocha Guaranho, Bolsonaro supporter.
Guaranho invaded the party wielding a 40-caliber Taurus pistol. He shouted words in defense of Jair Bolsonaro, shot at the municipal guard who, already injured and lying on the ground, returned fire, hitting the attacker. Both were rescued, but Arruda died. Guaranho is hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
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On his Twitter profile, the shooter He declared himself a Christian, in favor of weapons and against abortion.
Shooter presumed dead
The Civil Police initially reported that the shooter had also died. However, the information was corrected moments later. A version divergence was the target of criticism on the internet.
Bolsonaro's responsibility
In networks of opponents and critics of the president, Arruda's murder was attributed to the consequences of hate speech encouraged by Bolsonaro.
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Two days before the crime in Foz do Iguaçu, the president had stated live that losing the election was not his fear. He stated, however, that his supporters would know “what is at stake”, making reference to the attempt to reverse the American election results in 2020.
“You know how you have to prepare, not for the new Capitol, nobody wants to invade anything, but we know what we have to do before the elections,” he said.
How did Bolsonarism react?
In response to criticism, the president published a message without mentioning the murder on his Twitter account, mentioning an old post, which attributed violence to his opponents.
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In networks, the silence of Carlos and Eduardo, sons of Bolsonaro, was questionado. First-borns commonly respond to issues involving their father's government, as Flávio Bolsonaro did at 19:46 pm on Sunday, 10th, calling the case an “isolated act” that has “nothing to do with the agendas” defended by Bolsonarism.
In another post on Twitter, reporter Daniel Rittner mentioned the fact that Eduardo had given a speech in favor of arming the population in Foz do Iguaçu, the same place where the crime occurred. Eduardo had also encouraged rivalry between PT and Bolsonaro supporters at the event.
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Rodrigo Pacheco, President of the Senate: “The murder (…) is a materialization of the political intolerance that permeates Brazil today and shows us, in the worst possible way, what it is like to live in barbarism.”
Alexandre de Moraes, Minister of the Federal Supreme Court: Respect for the free choice of each of the more than 150 million voters is sacred and must be defended by all authorities within the scope of the 3 Powers.
Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP), leader of the opposition in the senate: “Later this week we will propose representation to the TSE to hold Jair Bolsonaro responsible for hate speech and incitement to violence.”
Featured photo: Pexels
