International
Protests wane in Brazil, but diehards stand by Bolsonaro
| By AFP | Luján Scarpinelli y Florian Plaucheur en Rio de Janeiro |
Protests in deeply polarized Brazil have dwindled since presidential elections nearly two weeks ago but some hard-core supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro remain in the streets.
A retired metalworker, Jose Carlos Flamino, stood at his encampment on Friday near a military barracks in Sao Paulo and vowed to remain “as long as is necessary.”
He still doesn’t accept that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist former president who squeaked out a 50.9 percent victory over Bolsonaro’s 49.1 percent in the October 30 vote, won fairly and squarely.
“The balloting that gave victory to Lula is not reliable,” said Flamino, 53, demanding the military overturn the vote.
He’s not alone. Other diehard Bolsonaro supporters are camped out with him at the Sao Paulo garrison and at military barracks across Brazil.
Bolsonaro, a retired army captain, “was a victim of an injustice but we are fighting here for the fatherland,” said Aguinaldo Coimbro, a 52-year-old market analyst, a Brazilian flag draped over his shoulders.
About 100 people with him outside the Sao Paulo military base chanted, “SOS, armed forces,” and called on the military to “save Brazil.”
Most wore green and yellow clothing, the colors of the national flag that has turned into a symbol for Bolsonaro followers.
“Brazil didn’t elect anyone. The people don’t accept this. We don’t want to become Venezuela. Our freedom doesn’t have a price,” said Lena Pasqualini, 62, a jewelry saleswoman resting at a support center with donated food for the protesters.
At a temporary encampment of protesters next to the central Duque de Caxias garrison in Rio de Janeiro, around 100 people remained on Friday morning, down from several thousand in the days after the October 30 runoff election.
Even as demonstrations melt to only a few dozen people, protesters insist they represent multitudes.
The election “was stolen, and that’s why all of Brazil is in the streets,” said Paulo Campelo, 70, a retired soldier.
“We want the army to eliminate those bastards who want to authenticate the fraudulent elections,” Campelo added.
Lula: ‘One wins, one loses’
The Armed Forces said Friday in a statement that “the solution to possible controversies… must make use of the legal instruments of the democratic rule of law.”
Protesters assert that a “fraud” was perpetrated with the electronic ballot box system, used in Brazil since 1996, and questioned without proof by Bolsonaro.
Numerous international observers and a report by the Armed Forces themselves released on Wednesday fully dispute that allegation.
Lula on Thursday appealed to the “minority in the streets” to go home.
“Democracy is that, one wins, one loses,” the president-elect said. “How many times have I cried because I lost?”
Bolsonaro, who has not openly acknowledged his defeat and has practically disappeared from public life for more than a week, asked his supporters to take down hundreds of roadblocks they threw up after the vote, but supported protests elsewhere.
On Friday Brazilian roads were completely back to normal, the Federal Highway Police told AFP.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
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