A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has killed a supporter of former head of state Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with 15 ax blows during a political dispute, police said.
The victim, Benedito Cardoso, 42, was arguing with a 24-year-old man about the presidential elections that will face the far-right president Bolsonaro and the leader of the left in the first round on October 2. Lula, favorite in all the polls.
The murder took place on Wednesday night on a farm in Confresa, a rural municipality in the state of Mato Grosso, in central-western Brazil.
15 ax hits
Police said the two men were alone on the property when “a politically charged dispute broke out.” “The victim was defending Lula and the aggressor Bolsonaro,” police said in a statement Thursday night.
The victim grabbed a knife, which the other man grabbed from him before attacking him. Cardoso, fallen to the ground, was killed with 15 ax blows. The killer was arrested when he was trying to get his injuries treated at a hospital.
Brazil faces these elections in a polarized environment like never before. Police have raised the level of security at election rallies, where the two favored candidates wear bulletproof vests and avoid close contact with the crowd.
“Brazil does not deserve the hatred that has been installed in the country”
“It is with great sadness that I learn of the murder of Benedito Cardoso,” Lula tweeted on Friday.
“Once again a life has been lost to intolerance. Brazil does not deserve the hatred that has taken over the country, ”adds Lula, who offers her condolences to the relatives of the victim.
The shooting death in July of a local representative of Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) who was celebrating his 50th birthday in Foz do Iguaçu (south) by a Bolsonaro police officer had already caused a stir in Brazil.
Human Rights Watch called on Friday in a statement “all candidates to strongly condemn the murder of Benedito Cardoso, as any act of political violence, any intimidation or any threat.”
Source: BFM TV
