Ministers from the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and part of the left allied with him see signs of political motivation in the explosions recorded on Wednesday night (13) near the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and the National Congress.
The main one most linked to Lula, Paulo Pimenta, from the Presidency’s Social Communication Secretariat (Secom), stated that “attacks on institutions are attacks on democracy and the Brazilian people”.
“Increasingly, the defense of democracy, the fight against intolerance and the policy of hate that has contaminated sectors of society are becoming fundamental. We cannot, under any circumstances, naturalize undemocratic acts”, he said.
He amended it by stating that “we will continue working for the reconstruction of our country and for the unity of the Brazilian people, all those who are against this will be defeated once again”.
A similar position was made by the national president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR), who also made a reference to the acts of January 8, 2023 regarding the explosions this Wednesday (13).
“The very serious events tonight in Praça dos Três Poderes repeat the scenario, targets and violence of January 8th. […] There are many elements that warn us to remain vigilant in defense of democracy. We know who her enemies are and we will know how to defend her once again”, he pointed out.
Juscelino Filho, from Communications, said he repudiates the explosions and that it is necessary to “reinforce that there will be no tolerance for disrespect and attacks against democracy and our institutions”. “We cannot forget the politician who promoted the hate campaign against the STF”, added Paulo Teixeira, from Agricultural Development.
The government leader in Congress, senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP), also stated that he saw signs of political motivation in the explosions. “It is unacceptable after so many attacks on our democracy. May there be a rigorous investigation to identify those responsible and may the union of Brazilians win,” he said.
“Let us be intolerant of fascism and the spread of hatred, the answer must be the Constitution, the law and the unity of the people”, he said.
A very close ally of Lula, the governor of Pará Helder Barbalho stated that “attacking democracy will never be the best solution to solve the country’s problems. I hope that the authorities will investigate all the facts and investigate the real motivations behind the explosions in Praça dos Três Poderes, in Brasília.”
The government leader in the Chamber, deputy José Guimarães (PT-CE), adopted caution and preferred to wait for the investigations.
“We trust the security bodies and State institutions in fulfilling their functions of clarifying the fact to Brazilian society and, if it is politically motivated, that those responsible are punished to the fullest extent of the law. Enough of the violence”, he pointed out.
