In September 1937, a false plan to take power by the communists – the Cohen plan – was made public by the government of . Written by Captain Olímpio Mourão Filho, who was part of the ranks of Ação Integralista Brasileira, a fascist-inspired movement, the fictitious document fueled the terror of communism and was used as a pretext to establish the .
Almost a century later, the conspiracy remains an important element of mass mobilization by the radical right — a tactic that is not exclusive to the group and is also used by fringes of the left, in anti-imperialist or anti-Semitic speeches.
In the last week, fanciful theories were disseminated by Bolsonaro leaders and activists in the face of Anvisa’s decision to consider the company at risk of microbiological contamination.
The conspiracy theory spread on social media is that there would be a coordinated action by the agency’s technicians, in collusion with the government, to take down a company associated with Bolsonarism.
Three members of the Beira family, controller of the cleaning products brand, for the former president’s re-election campaign in 2022. In that year’s elections, Ypê also promoted a live broadcast to persuade employees to vote for Bolsonaro, in accordance with the judicial understanding that condemned the company for electoral harassment.
For Bolsonarists, these elements are enough to conclude that Ypê is persecuted by Anvisa. Names such as the former first lady, federal deputies and Mario Frias (PL-SP), the vice-mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Mello Araújo (PL), senator Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicanos-MG) and the owner of Havan, Luciano Hang, replicated this narrative.
Conspiracy is a permanent tactic in the universe of the contemporary radical right. , a writer who died in 2022 and influenced a generation of Bolsonarists, including the former federal deputy, was a great conspirator. His theories ranged from the existence of an alliance between globalist elites to promote communism to the use of cells from aborted fetuses to sweeten Pepsi soft drinks.
The strategy also marked the Bolsonaro administration, with the wide dissemination of the vaccine against Covid-19 — the former president even associated immunization with the development of AIDS.
Guilherme Casaões, doctor in political science and coordinator of the Observatory of the Far Right, says that the main function of conspiracy theory is the construction of common enemies to mobilize the base.
“Although they are not owned by one side of the political spectrum, conspiracy theories have been used very frequently by the extreme right throughout the history of Brazil (…) In the case of the extreme right, due to its binary view of politics, as a dispute between good and evil, it is important to build this enemy in a sustained, systematic way”, he states.
“Generally, he has no face, although he can be associated with some figures, such as Lula or [Alexandre de] Moraes. In that case [da Ypê]is among a group of bureaucrats, technicians from Anvisa.”
For Jorge Chaloub, professor of political science at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), the conspiracy around Ypê reflects the current political dynamics as it is woven around a “deep distrust of institutions and the State”.
Furthermore, Chaloub states, it is part of another strategy of the radical right – the demand that group members constantly reinforce their identity and belonging, as happened in historical fascism.
“People are constantly having to prove their identities as Bolsonaro supporters. These are explicit signs of belonging. ‘Look here, I’m aligned with Bolsonaro, I’m anti-PT, I distrust the State and I’m unmasking a big farce’.”
In videos that went viral on social media, people simulated drinking Ypê detergent, or washing themselves with it under the shower. In one, the cleaning product was used to scrub a raw chicken with a sponge. In another, a man drank a creamy substance that filled a detergent bottle. “Here for you, PT member,” he said, making an offensive gesture with his finger.
According to a survey by Palver, most of the messages in defense of Ypê were disseminated in a coordinated manner.
The digital monitoring company identified additional layers in the conspiracy theory spread in public groups on WhatsApp. Messages that circulated in these ecosystems accused businessman Joesley Batista, from J&F, of also being behind the operation to target Ypê. This is because the Batista family owns competitor Minuano, and Joesley has been associated as the bridge between Lula and American President Donald Trump.
Paolo Demuru, author of “Politics of Enchantment: Far Right and Conspiracy Fantasies” (2024) and professor of semiotics, states that the episode is provocative and seeks to “rekindle the spirits of the right-wing camp.” This provocation, according to him, occurs through the opposition of the elite against the people.
“There is an interesting opposition, typical of conspiratorial narratives, of a popular brand, which everyone buys, and systems, governmental apparatuses, political or even scientific elites. Anvisa [aparece] as a symbol that manifests the power of science against the popular will”, he says.
“[Eles dizem] ‘I’m part of that group that doesn’t let itself be fooled by the elites, by the State apparatus, by these scientists who want to tell us what we should use in our cooking.’ It has an implicit connection that starts from the ‘zeitgeist’ [espírito do tempo] against science, constituted authority, journalism, the State, traditional politicians.”
Demuru points out that, in the videos released in recent days, a typical symbol of far-right discourse reappeared: the common man, in his home, “asserting himself as an exponent of the people”.
In this sense, according to him, images such as that of the Bolsonarista who simulates drinking detergent are part of the buffoon’s aesthetic, as Bolsonaro did, for example, when he wore a fake Palmeiras shirt at a meeting at Palácio da Alvorada. “It’s a way of aesthetically asserting yourself against the system.”
