Bruna Prado/Pool through Reuters
In his first tweet since shedding Sunday’s Brazilian presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro pleaded along with his supporters to finish their highway blockades that had been swiftly put in in a minimum of 20 of 26 states in protest of what they are saying is election fraud.
The far-right president’s video message on Wednesday got here as a number of individuals, together with two cops, had been injured after a automobile drove into one of many blockades. A 28-year-old man has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of tried homicide.
Bolsonaro’s supporters have taken to the streets since his loss to former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was introduced Sunday evening, however by Wednesday, a day after Bolsonaro addressed the nation to say he would respect the structure with out acknowledging the election end result, he informed supporters: “I do know you’re upset and unhappy, that you just hoped for a unique end result. I did too, I’m additionally unhappy and upset similar to you.”
Nonetheless, regardless of spending months forward of the election attacking the voting system, Bolsonaro pleaded that “we've got to get our heads on straight.” Whereas welcoming protests and demonstrations as “a part of the democratic course of,” Bolsonaro conceded that “there’s one thing not OK this time,” claiming that blocking highways round Brazil is “infringing on the rights of individuals specified by our structure.”
“We all the time should... respect the rights of different people who find themselves making an attempt to get from one place to a different, except for hurting our financial system… I do know our financial system is essential, possibly you’re giving extra significance to different issues proper now, it’s reliable, however I need to make an enchantment to you. Please clear the roads,” Bolsonaro mentioned. “This isn't a part of a reliable protest. We’re going to lose our personal legitimacy with this.”
The previous president mentioned he supported protests in metropolis squares throughout the nation however urged his supporters to clear the roads. “Everyone seems to be shedding with these blocked roads…. please don’t assume badly of me. I simply need one of the best for you, for all this time as your president, we’ve been working to deliver again patriotism, to defend the household, defend freedom, we’re not going to throw this away. We’ll work collectively. I’m with you and I do know you’re with me. I’m simply asking you to clear the roads.”
By Wednesday it appeared the truckers had been slowly disbanding, with 156 highway blockades as an alternative of the day gone by’s 267, in keeping with The Wall Road Journal.