PRF arrests 49 people in 8 days of anti-democratic acts on the highways

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The PRF (Federal Highway Police) arrested 49 people in eight days of undemocratic acts on federal highways. The protests were held against the result of the elections, which had Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) as the winner in the dispute for the Planalto.

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), including truck drivers, started the protests shortly after the announcement of the PT’s victory. The data refer to the period from October 31st to November 8th. Only on the 9th did the PRF say that the roads were completely clear.

The PRF’s performance was only more effective on Tuesday (1st), after determination by the president of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), Minister Alexandre de Moraes, for the government to adopt “all necessary and sufficient measures” to clear the highways.

Folha showed that there were 2,310 agents on the schedule for the day after the second round. On three other Mondays of the month (3rd, 10th and 24th), there were 2,018, 2,271 and 2,333 police officers, respectively. Therefore, there was no immediate reinforcement to respond to the emergency situation.

Santa Catarina was the state with the most prisons; see cases

According to the PRF, there were 13 arrests in Santa Catarina, five in Mato Grosso do Sul, five in Espírito Santo, four in Rio Grande do Sul, four in Minas Gerais, three in Pernambuco, two in Goiás, two in Maranhão, two in Rondônia. , two in Paraná, two in São Paulo, two in Rio de Janeiro, one in Mato Grosso, one in Roraima and one in Rio Grande do Norte.

Incident reports obtained by Sheet show that, after receiving a voice of arrest, the demonstrators were taken to police stations and released after signing the detailed term (crime registration of lesser offensive potential to be sent to the Special Criminal Court).

In Içara (SC), around 400 demonstrators blocked the road. According to data from the bulletin, the PRF asked people to leave the highways and stun bombs were thrown by the security forces.

As seven people kept shouting words of resistance and continued on the road, they were arrested and taken to the police station, whereupon they were released.

In the stretch that is in Itajaí (SC), a man resisted leaving the road even after the use of pepper spray by the police. He was handcuffed and taken to the police station for disobedience, but was also released.

Among the protesters who blocked BR 610, one of them refused to leave the road and encouraged others to do the same. He was arrested by the PRF and taken to the police station for disobedience and attacking the democratic state. He was also released later.

Cristiano Vasconcellos da Silva, general coordinator of Institutional Communication for the PRF, said that the arrest warrant is given by the PRF and the prisoner is forwarded to the police station, but the security force is not responsible for whether or not the detention is maintained.

Silva added that there are no more roadblocks and interdictions, but there are still points of concentration of people. The PRF said it continues to apply fines and make arrests.

“The focus of the operation is to clear the roads and guarantee the population’s right to come and go, using personnel, weapons and specialized teams. We acted in the best possible way, there are not always personnel to guarantee that people can circulate and carry out arrests at the same time. The PRF had 417 demonstration points at the same time,” he said.

Director General of the PRF is also investigated

The Federal Police opened on Thursday (10) an inquiry so that the director general of the PRF, Silvinei Vasques, is investigated on suspicion of prevarication.

The investigation was requested by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and will focus on investigating Vasques’ conduct regarding the department’s performance on the day of the second round and on the reaction to the blockades and interdictions of highways promoted by Bolsonarists after the results of the polls.

According to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, the videos about the blockades show “not only the absence of measures by the Federal Highway Police in the face of the illegal actions of the demonstrators, but even statements by members of the corporation in support of the demonstrators, as if this were the guidance received from the agencies superiors of the institution”.

As shown to Sheet, PRF agents said in a video that circulated on social networks that the order of the institution is only to remain in place. “The only thing I have to say at this moment is the only order we have is to be here with you, that’s all,” they reported.

Road agent Jonathas Torres shared a video on Instagram in which the PRF anthem plays in the background during the demonstration on a federal highway in the region of Lajeado (RS). The video, recorded with the cell phone on top of the vehicle, had the caption “Anthem of the PRF”.

“Patrolheiros, fight without fear wielding the flag of love. Applying the law with justice day and night with all the ardor. Patroleiros, work with devotion”, says an excerpt from the hymn that appears in the video.

The officer denied that he was at the scene and claimed that he received the video from WhatsApp groups. However, he did not answer why he decided to share the images on social networks.

On Wednesday night (2), Bolsonaro published a video on his social networks in which he asked his supporters to release the highways that are obstructed.

“I want to make an appeal to you: clear the highways, this is not part, in my opinion, of these legitimate demonstrations. We are not going to lose this legitimacy of ours,” he said. “Protest in another way, in other places, that this is very welcome, it is part of our democracy.”

It was the second statement made by the president after the defeat. The first speech frustrated those who expected the president to explicitly ask for the demobilization of roadblocks.

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