On Facebook, Twitter or TikTok, there were all the clues to predict the insurrection that shook Brazil this Sunday. Several places of power in Brasilia, the country’s capital, have been invaded by pro-Bolsonaro protesters. They have since been removed.
These episodes of violence follow the election of Lula as president of Brazil at the end of October. But from the results, voices denounce the presidential election, denouncing a fraud. Many calls to “stop the theft” have thus proliferated on social media, says the Washington Post.
Influencers have even invited to a “Festa da Selma”. This term means “the party of the battle cry”, being careful to deflect the word “jungle” to avoid detection by the authorities. In Brazil, Internet users can be arrested if they post anti-democratic content.
However, this did not prevent the pro-Bolsonaro from showing their discontent and organizing their day of revolt. However, Brazilian social media specialists warned of the risk of incidents such as those that stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The event, which led to the suspension of Donald Trump’s Twitter account, could have served as a lesson and prevented events of this type from happening again. But the recent takeover of the social network and the desire to establish extreme freedom of expression on the platform have undermined this hope. “Elon Musk has rehabilitated very dangerous extremist profiles,” Michele Prado, a researcher specializing in far-right currents in Brazil, told the Rest of World in an article discovered by Korii.
Content that radicalizes people
On TikTok, the researchers noted that five of the top eight search results featured the term “ticket.” On Facebook and Instagram, thousands of users were directed to groups questioning the integrity of the election. All this, despite the fact that they had only used classical terms in their search.
If all the platforms have seen messages claiming that the elections were stolen or rigged, it is on Telegram, weakly moderated, where the most virulent and violent comments have spread. Therefore, it is not a surprise to have seen the organization of protests on this network.
More than 300 people arrested
Thus, dates, times and routes have been shared in order to gather as many people as possible in the Brazilian capital on January 8. According to publications seen by the Washington Post, a huge van was set up to bring protesters from at least six regions of the country.
This Sunday, a pro-Bolsonaro yellow and green human tide took control for a few hours of the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia. So far, more than 300 people have been arrested. The Brazilian judicial authorities have begun the first investigations to determine who is responsible for these attacks.
Source: BFM TV
