Brazil Riot: Pro-Jair Bolsonaro Rioters Plotted Insurrection Openly Online; 'Mega Protest' Fizzles Out Amid Concerns

By Rick Martin Jan 11 2023, 22:07 PM EST

The pro-Jair Bolsonaro insurrection in Brazil that resulted in rioters destroying property in government buildings and surrounding the presidential palace was plotted online, and they did so openly. This was revealed as a flyer for a "Mega Protest" to retake power has been seen online.

A public Telegram channel with over 18,000 members called "Hunting and Fishing" was where the insurrection was planned, according to the Associated Press.

It featured a map called "beach trip," but instead of an actual beach, it laid out a map of Brazil from where the rioters were transported via buses to the capital, Brasilia. The map had 43 pins, each representing the cities where the buses came from.

A post on the channel stated that the children and the elderly were not invited to this "beach trip," and promoters promised that there would be a big "party" on January 8, which has now been dubbed "Brazil's January 6."

There was also a post on the channel that teased some games, including the "target shooting of police and robbers," as well as "musical chairs, indigenous dancing, tag, and others." It was pointed out that the channel had several thinly coded messages, and these have been circulated around social media by Jair Bolsonaro supporters. This is all part of their effort to restore the former president back in power.

'Mega Protest' Fizzles Out After Attempted Insurrection in Brazil was Thwarted

In Brazilian social media spheres, a social media flyer promoting a "mega-protest to retake power" was being spread. This "Mega Protest" was seen to take place in about two dozen cities around Brazil, and these were all in support of Jair Bolsonaro.

After the big riot that took place in Brasilia, the police were ready for this one. However, they did not spare any expense, stationing police and military personnel around Brasilia and other key cities. They even deployed around 29 vehicles around Copa Cabana beach in Rio de Janeiro as journalists also came expecting a massive protest.

However, it turned out that this "Mega Protest" was a dud. In Copa Cabana beach, one of the places where protesters were supposed to gather, only one couple showed up.

Eunice Carvalho, a 58-year-old housewife and Bolsonaro supporter, told the Associated Press that they were surprised they were the only ones who showed up. She reckoned that people might have gotten scared of going to prison. Like the January 8 rioters, she and her husband also wore Brazil soccer jerseys.

Brazil's Conservatives Echo a Donald Trump Argument in Defense of the January 8 Riot

Jair Bolsonaro has spent months sowing doubts into the people's minds regarding the results of the Brazilian elections. This resulted in the January 8 riot in Brasilia, which echoed the January 6 Capitol insurrection in the United States.

Unlike Donald Trump, however, Bolsonaro publicly condemned the violence. According to the Washington Post, other Brazilian conservatives did the same, with key ally Valdemar Costa Neto, president of Bolsonaro's party, telling the Washington Post that what happened on January 8 was a crime.

However, the Brazilian right-wing politician then echoed an argument by the American political right regarding the January 6 insurrection. Costa Neto told the Washington Post that leftists infiltrated the protesters, and they were the ones who caused the majority of the damage.

This was the same argument several conservatives in the United States made on January 6, blaming Antifa for "infiltrating" the pro-Trump mob and causing violence.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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