Candidate for vice president by União Brasil, Marcos Cintra, says he was offended by the repercussion that classified the members of the WhatsApp group that was the target of the Federal Police operation this Tuesday (23) as Bolsonaristas.
Cintra said he is part of the group, but he is not a bolsonarista. According to him, the group was used for superficial conversations about different topics, from football to politics, and not to articulate a coup movement.
“I’m there. And I’m part of a campaign that is against Bolsonaro. I didn’t see anything that would turn us into bolsonaristas. Except the opinion of some who are. So what? That’s a reason to enter the house, invade privacy without any concrete evidence?” says Cintra, who was also the secretary of the Federal Revenue in the Bolsonaro government, but was fired by the president in 2019.
According to him, the PF operation generated a climate of fear among members, and the number of participants dropped from more than 150 last week, when the Metrópoles portal released the news about the existence of the group, to about 45 this Tuesday.
“Is this the democracy we want? Is it? I’m shocked and I think this is what will stimulate a more violent movement on both sides. Some believing in a gigantic conspiracyist vision. Others creating more anger for it. It’s healthy for a country when people are afraid to express their opinions in a closed group?”, he says.
Joana Cunha with Paul Ricardo Martins and Diego Felix
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