Police Take Action Against Another Ally of President Bolsonaro

On Friday, Brazil’s Federal Police raided the properties of lawmaker Otoni de Paula as part of the investigations in a case of incitement to violence and threatening acts against the rule of law.

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Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes approved a request made by the Attorney General for the arrest of this member of the Social Christian Party (PSC), an organization that supports President Jair Bolsonaro.

In 2020, De Paula was denounced for the crimes of defamation, slander, and coercion. Through live broadcasts on the internet, this far-right politician even threatened Judge De Moraes.

Before his arrest, the lawmaker called De Moraes a "tyrant" and, referring to his summons to appear before the Federal Police, De Paula said that he "owed nothing to anyone."

Through arrest warrants valid for the states of Ceara, Mato Grosso, Parana, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, Judge De Morais also ordered the arrest of Marcos Pereira, Eduardo Oliveira, Wellington Macedo de Souza, Antonio Galvan, Alexandre Raitz Petersen, Turibio Torres, Juliano da Silva Martins, and Bruno Semczeszm.

"In his decision, Moraes claims that the people under investigation 'tried to abuse their right of speech to attack democracy and the rule of law... even using threats of physical aggressions," local outlet UOL reported.

Previously, on August 14, singer Sergio Reis called for a truckers' strike against the Supreme Court. "On that same day, Bolsonaro announced that he would petition the Senate for the impeachment of judges Alexandre de Moraes and Luis Roberto Barroso," UOL recalled.