A spate of brutal attacks has fuelled concerns of rising political violence in Brazil ahead of presidential elections next month.
Authorities are on alert following the murders in recent weeks of two supporters of race frontrunner, leftwing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by backers of incumbent rightwing leader Jair Bolsonaro.
The assailant shouted “here is Bolsonaro” as he shot an official from Lula’s Workers’ party (PT) in the first of the killings in July, according to police.
The assault followed the detonation of a homemade bomb packed with faeces at a campaign rally in Rio de Janeiro for Lula, who leads polls by about 10 percentage points ahead of the first round vote on October 2.
Although no one was hurt in that incident, the attacks have fostered an atmosphere of insecurity, with both candidates eschewing the typical campaign trail camaraderie and abraços — hugs and embraces. Lula has used a bulletproof vest at events.
While on the stump for the presidency in 2018, Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen and almost killed. He has since undergone multiple surgeries to treat the resulting health problems.
Tabata Amaral, a federal lawmaker from São Paulo, argues that much of the tension stems from Bolsonaro’s aggressive rhetoric, which is taken as a green light by some of his more radical supporters to intimidate the opposition.
“I’m not saying that there was no violence before. And both the left and the right have some responsibility for what is happening. But we have a president that is constantly telling his supporters that they should shoot the opposition. That’s a very strong message,” said the centre-left politician.
“For the campaign this year, personal security is our main issue. It is going to be a mark of this campaign. We are constantly hearing about people cancelling events,” Amaral said.
There were 214 recorded cases of violence against prominent politicians in Brazil during the first half of this year, according to the Observatory for Political and Electoral Violence at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
That represents a more than fourfold increase since researchers began collecting data on the trend in 2019 at the start of Bolsonaro’s mandate. The group also found 40 homicides of politicians between January and June this year.
More than 67 per cent of voters, meanwhile, say they fear being attacked because of their political preferences, according to pollster Datafolha.
“Episodes of political violence have become more frequent and widespread, reaching in 2022 levels not seen in previous electoral cycles in what is a clear sign of democratic erosion,” said Mário Braga, an analyst at consultancy Control Risks.
“The main trend we have seen so far — and the one that is likely to persist at least over the coming months — is that of radicalised rightwing individuals targeting their opponents.”
Bolsonaro’s rhetoric is applauded by his conservative fans for its common touch and honesty. He is often compared to an uncle figure, who says controversial things but means well. For them, his derogatory comments about the gay community, for example, are attempts at humour.
For critics, the president regularly crosses the line. At a recent debate, he verbally attacked a female journalist, earning a rebuke from another candidate, who asked: “Why so much anger towards women?”
While running for the presidency in 2018, Bolsonaro infamously told a crowd “let’s shoot” PT supporters. He later said he was speaking figuratively.
Lula, who served as president between 2003-10, says the violence has been encouraged by the loosening of gun ownership laws since Bolsonaro came to power. The number of people with registered firearms for collections, sports and hunting has grown 470 per cent in this period to more than 670,000.
“The country is heading towards savagery. People are being induced to exacerbate violence, this in a country which has been facilitating the sale of arms,” Lula said recently.
But the former leader is not without controversy. He has praised and defended a former PT city councillor who is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly pushing a rightwing businessman in front of a truck in 2018. The victim, who had been heckling Lula, suffered serious injuries and later died of Covid-19.
“This debt I owe you we can never pay in cash,” Lula told the accused councillor earlier this year. “We can pay it in solidarity and companionship.”
For Simone Diniz, a professor at the Federal University of São Carlos, “political violence is not something new. The difference is that today certain authorities encourage the practice.”
Additional reporting by Carolina Ingizza