Videos show protests by Bolsonarista truck drivers

Videos circulating on social media show protests by truck drivers who supported the re-election of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). In the footage, they claim to be mobilizing to occupy the country’s highways against the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the second round of the presidential elections.

The videos show drivers dressed in the colors of the Brazilian flag allegedly closing roads in cities in Paraná, Mato Grosso, Santa Catarina and Bahia. In some cases, they call for military intervention.

Sought, the Federal Highway Police (PRF) of Paraná stated that there are “some actions in sparse points with few protesters”. The PRFs of the other states mentioned did not respond until the publication of the report.

Lula was elected President of the Republic for the third time on Sunday night (30), in the tightest election since redemocratization. With 99.99% of the polls counted, the candidate had 50.90% against 49.10% of the votes obtained by Bolsonaro.

In one of the videos, an unidentified man says he is in contact with leaders across the country and calls for truck drivers to strike.

“We are at 256 people. Brazil has stopped, it has stopped. We cannot release”, he says. “There is no politician who will come close to us and [dizer] ‘oh, you can’t ask for military intervention or anything. We only leave the streets when the Army takes over the country”, he adds.

According to the man, who wears a shirt in the colors of Brazil written the word “patriot”, there are similar demonstrations in the Santa Catarina cities of Joinville, Criciúma, Itajaí, Curitiba, in addition to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other places. The report was unable to confirm whether there are actions in these locations.

Truck drivers were an important base for Bolsonaro in 2018, but the support of the category has ebbed in recent years, mainly with the increase in fuel prices. Recently, the president announced the anticipation of the aid paid to self-employed professionals, which was seen as an attempt to boost the campaign for reelection among the group.

In Luís Eduardo Magalhães, west of Bahia, protesters burned tires and blocked the BR-020 with trucks on Sunday night.

In a video posted on social media, a protester said the election was “corrupt, full of problems and full of confusion”. “Delivering Brazil to Lula is the same as dying. We will not let it, we will fight for our country. We will continue to produce grain, food for the people,” said the protester.

Luís Eduardo Magalhães is one of the main agribusiness hubs in the country, producing soy, corn and cotton. The city was one of only two cities in Bahia where Jair Bolsonaro had more votes than Lula.

On Telegram, a group called “Caminhoneiros e Agro pelo Brasil” brings together about 890 people. In some messages, users mention article 142 of the Federal Constitution, commonly cited by supporters of the current president to defend the hypothesis of the legality of a coup. “Day of the Dead we already want them to have had the military intervention”, wrote one of the members on Sunday night.

The group’s description says that the idea is to “make the biggest protest in the history of these planets”. “We do not accept the cowardice that was done to the Brazilian working people, we who contributed a lot to the functioning of the country, we can no longer be treated like garbage”, says the text.

In another video that circulates on social media, an unidentified man says he is in Lucas do Rio Verde (MT). “The investigation has just ended. The Brazilian people know that they have suffered a severe blow, and we are not going to accept it. The people are closing everything”, he says. In the background, you can hear a woman saying. “Let’s stop Brazil. Enough of being stupid!”

There are similar contents recorded by truck drivers in Londrina (PR), Nova Londrina (PR) and Palhoça (SC). Some of them show closed roads, with tires on fire and dozens of people wearing green and yellow shirts.