MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro urges his followers to clear the roads

Bolsonaro admitted he was “sad and angry”

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Wednesday said he supported the protests but asked his followers to move “elsewhere” because roadblocks did not “seem to me to be part of legitimate demonstrations.”

”I want to make an appeal to them: unblock the roads. That does not seem to me to be part of legitimate demonstrations (...) Other demonstrations that are taking place all over Brazil, in squares... are part of the democratic game. Feel at ease,“ Bolsonaro said.

Read also: Bolsonaro followers call for military intervention with cries of “civil resistance” and raised hands

In a video posted on social media, Bolsonaro focused on the road blockades by lorry drivers but dodged protests at the gates of dozens of barracks in which his supporters demanded a ”military intervention“ to prevent Lula's inauguration, scheduled for next January 1.

”I am with you and I am sure that you are with me. My request is about the highways. We are going to unblock them for the good of our nation,“ Bolsonaro insisted.

”Throughout this time at the head of the Presidency I collaborated for the resurgence of the patriotic feeling, the love for the Homeland and the green and yellow colors of the flag, the defense of the family and freedom“ and ”we cannot move away from that,“ he went on.

Apparently, regarding his defeat at the polls, Bolsonaro admitted he was ”sad and angry.“

Road blockades by truckers supporting Bolsonaro began in the early hours of Monday after Lula's victory in the elections was confirmed, by a difference of just 1.8 points. The movement lost strength Wednesday, a day after the president agreed to a transition process with Lula's team.

Nevertheless, thousands of Bolsonaristas gathered on Wednesday in front of barracks in cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, and Sao Paulo to demand a ”Federal intervention,“ under article 34 of the Constitution, which says that the government can intervene, if necessary and by any means possible, to guarantee the ”republican form, the representative system, and the democratic regime.” The protesters argued that Lula would lead Brazil to Communism and will implement a regime similar to those in Venezuela or Nicaragua. They also denounced an alleged fraud, which the electoral justice has denied.