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.
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