#BrazilWasStolen: Brazilian protesters surround army barracks
Brazilian protesters have surrounded army barracks and are demanding the military intervene in what many are saying was a fraudulent election as countrywide protests enter their twelfth day.
As reported by America’s Frontline News, protests promptly erupted throughout the country after former president and ex-convict Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was announced the winner of last month's election, ousting incumbent Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula, who spent 580 days in prison for corruption, won the most votes in the country’s history, but also by the narrowest margin for a presidential election in the country’s modern history. Now many Brazilians are contesting the legitimacy of the election, citing independent analyses by the electoral authorities which found that machines that were not audited had a statistically significant difference (p=10-18) in voting outcome in favor of Lula, amounting conservatively in the 1st round to 2.4% of the votes transferred and, in the 2nd round, 3.3%.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in favor of Bolsonaro and blocked over 300 roads, including major highways between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the road to Santos and the road to São Paulo’s airport. Protesters reportedly used cranes and farm equipment to block roads connecting Western Brazil to the Amazonian region, as well as the road from Brazil to Paraguay.
Even the northeast region which is predominantly Left-wing, saw mass protests in favor of Bolsonaro, with thousands gathered in Fortaleza, Ceará.
Some law enforcement officials were also reported to have joined in the protests.
While Bolsonaro himself asked his supporters to stop blocking roads, video footage now shows that protesters have surrounded Brazilian Army headquarters in major state capitals around the country and are demanding military intervention. Thousands can be seen holding signs reading, “#BrazilWasStolen.”
Superior Electoral Court (TSE) President Moraes announced that anyone who questions the results of last week’s election will be treated as a criminal.
"There is no way to contest the democratically obtained result with illicit, anti-democratic and criminal movements, which will be fought and held accountable. Democracy has won again in Brazil [...] This is democracy, this is alternation of power, this is a democratic state, and those who criminally are not accepting it will be treated as criminals and their responsibilities will be established," threatened Moraes, according to Brasil Sem Medo.
