MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Leftwing newspaper HQs in Brazil attacked

“The shots that hit the facade of the building hit a concrete wall, but the worst of all is that they hit democracy,” Rondoniaovivo claimed

An unidentified assailant has fired several shots with a handgun at the headquarters of the leftwing leaning Rondoniaovivo newspaper in the city of Porto Velho, in the Brazilian State of Rondônia.

According to local media, the perpetrator would be a far-right supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro. No injuries were reported.

Security cameras recorded the moment when the attacker arrived at the headquarters with a gun in his hand, looked around, opened fire on the newsroom, and left.

Rondoniaovivo condemned the attack and said several threats has been received for their work collecting information on activities of coup-mongering and extreme-rightwing groups who do not accept Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva's win in the Oct. 30 elections.

“Rondoniaovivo positioned itself in the last few days against a group of the Rondonian society that defends a coup d'état in Brazil and does not accept the last presidential elections,” the outlet said in a statement.

“They are the same who defend freedom, but prevent the right of citizens to come and go; they say that a dictatorship is the solution for all the ills that afflict our country, a contradiction,” it added.

The newspaper had appeared on social media in a list of companies to boycott “for being considered leftist.” The publication said it was “the extreme right with its Nazi-fascist methods acting in Rondônia” that was responsible for the attack.

Local authorities also reported having retrieved at least 10 9mm pistol casings.

Brazil's National Federation of Communicators (Fenacom) expressed its solidarity with Rondoniaovivo and its workers while warning about the increasing number of attacks on journalists and media.

“The shots that hit the facade of the building hit a concrete wall, but the worst of all is that they hit democracy,” Rondoniaovivo claimed.