Radicalization of Bolsonaro's Ideological Wing Alarms Military

Ideological wing is responsible for two extreme actions in recent days

São Paulo

The recent extreme actions by the ideological wing of Bolsonaro’s government have Brazil’s military worried. In the last two days, Bolsonaro published a “hyena video” against the Supreme Court and reacted aggressively to revelation in the murder of Marielle Franco.

Active generals of the three Forces say there is no general support for any repressive adventures suggested by the group.

Grab taken from a handout video released by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro which he broadcast live early on October 30, 2019 in his YouTube account during his official visit to Saudi Arabia, in which he denied links to last year's assassination of a prominent Brazilian politician, after reports that a suspect in the murder investigation visited his residence before the killing. - On October 29, 2019 TV network Globo reported that the first suspect visited the condominium building where Bolsonaro lived, telling the doorman he intended to visit the then-presidential candidate. Marielle Franco, a popular leftist city councillor in Rio de Janeiro, was gunned down alongside her driver in March 2018 -- a drive-by shooting that investigators described as a "summary execution." (Photo by HO / BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO'S YOUTUBE ACCOUNT / AFP) - AFP

One conspiracy theory says the protests in Chile and Ecuador, the return of Peronism in Argentina, and even the oil spill in the Northeast are part of a left-wing plot that needs to be fought.

Bolsonaro took notes from the ideological wing of his government and suggested that he would call the Armed Forces if there were a contagion of Chilean protests in Brazilian streets.

He then published the infamous video in which hyenas representing the Supreme, the OAB, media outlets, and amorphous opponents like feminism threaten the lion impersonating the president.

Here the pressure of the ideological group, which follows the writer Olavo de Carvalho, became evident. Bolsonaro stepped back and apologized to the Supreme Court for the video. But his international advisor, Filipe Martins, redoubled criticism on social media even after retraction.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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