Over 100 thousand people protest against new government in Brazil
During the week, the president Michel Temer minimized ans ridiculed the protests against hir government. On Sunday (4), more than 100 thousand people crowded the streets of São Paulo, in the biggest protest registred in the week. After the policial violence, we can expect something even bigger in the next few days.
After a week of protests in different Brazilian capital cities against his government, the president Michel Temer has minimized and ridiculed the protests, reducing the group of thousands of people to “40, or 50”. Not satisfied, he still prefered to talk about the “protesters violence” rather than highlight the policial repression, which was the brand of the week in São Paulo.
However, the story was different on Sunday (4).
As a real “shut up” for the president, more than 100 thousand people crowded Paulista Avenue in the biggest protest registred this week against Michel Temer, in São Paulo.
And it wasn’t easy: days before the manifestation, the Federal government has threated to send the Army Force to repel the protesters because of the Paraolympics torch pass in Paulista Avenue. The Stadual government also has warned that the process wouldn’t be allowed.
Although, after a meeting scheduled by the mayor Fernando Haddad (PT), it has been settled that the protest would happen two hours later in order to avoid conflict.
Said and done. At 4:30 p.m., thousands of protesters were already occupying Masp’s free span.
In a completely pacific walk, the protest went up to Largo da Batata, near the metro station Faria Lima. The crowd yelled words of order against the president Michel Temer, while the police monitored the protest on the parallel streets, with armored cars and helicopters.
Kids, ancients and young people were majority. In opposite of the other manifestations arregend by the group Frente Povo Sem Medo, the biggest protagonist in the protest wasn’t the organized social movements, but the population itself, that decided to take part on “Fora Temer”.
And in this “peaceful” atmosphere, nobody imagined it could happen any type violence from the police. But it did.
After the national coordinator of the MTST (Movement of Homeless Workers), Guilherme Boulos, announce on a sound car that the manifestation was over, a confusion started at the entrance of the metro station Faria Lima. The Military Police, that was not even called by the metro employees, decided to act.
Bombs and rubber bullets were shot, surprising the protesters who were already going home.
In the sound car, Boulos criticized the Military Police action, “They are trying to provoke us”. At the same time, the violence spred all the way through other routes in the region, while the protesters who resisted set up barricades with trash bags and fire on the streets’ cross.
There were many cases of desproporcional policial truculence registred.
A man, named Helio Leandro, posicioned himself in front of the Shock Troop’s truck that was throwing water against the protesters. With arms wide open, he wanted to end the agression.
Helio end up being caught by force by many police officers, being pulled by his hair into the truck. Theoretically, it’s about an unusual prison, without any justification from the Military Police — the ideal was that the protesters was handcuffed and sent to an ordinary police car, and not to a truck used to repress manifestations with many police officers inside it.
The young man was sent to the 14th PD, with a huge hurt on his head, being released hours later. He talked to Democratize about the threats he received.
Another case registred by our team happened in a bar near Largo da Batata. Protesters and clients yelled “There won’t be selfies” to a Military Police car, in a referrence to the protests pro impeachment, where people took smily pictures with the police officers. In an authoritary way, the police threw pepper sprays inside the bar.
At least one woman felt ill inside a bus after the Military Police shooting tear gas from their car, which were next to the bus, being rescued bt the passengers. One boy was shot with a rubber bullet in the ribs in Paulista Avenue. A woman was hitten with pepper gas after having an argument with a police officer.
Moms said that they had to run with their daughters on their arms because of the Military Police violence.
Earlier, yet in the protest gathering in Paulista Avenue, a woman was already being hitten with pepper gas after arguing with a police officer.
Serious case of authoritarism were registred even before the beggining of the protest.
More than 20 high school students were arrested in São Paulo’s Cultural Centre, nearby the metro station Vergueiro. They were having a meeting when the police surrenderded them, being caught under the excuse of them being “black blocks”. At the polucwr station, the police didn’t allow the entrance of lawyers for hours, until the ex-senator Eduardo Suplicy (PT) arrived at the place.
They will be charged of Under Age Corruption and Criminal Association. According to informations from Vaidapé Magazine, one of the under aged caught said that the iron bar was faked.
At least 6 other protesters were arrested in Paulista Avenue, for “looking like black blocks”.
Even after so much violence, the protesters promised to continue with the manifestations during the week.
On Wednesday (7), Independance Day, a protest is scheduled to happen at 2 p.m. at Sé Square. On the day after, the group Frente Povo Sem Medo is already inviting people for their second manifestation at Largo da Batata at 6 p.m.
