We repudiate the connivance of the federal district government and the police forces with the coup actions
On January 8th, in Brasilia, thousands of far-right activists, financed and articulated by pro-Bolsonaro businessmen and politicians, promoted coup and terrorist actions, which culminated in the storming of the National Congress, the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and the Palacio do Planalto (Planalto Palace). All this with the connivance of the police forces of the Federal District, led by Anderson Torres, former Secretary of Public Security of the Federal District and former Minister of Justice of Bolsonaro. And, moreover, with a flagrant omission by the police forces of the Federation.
The event on 8 January is part of the process of mobilisation of the ultra-right that has been going on since Bolsonaro’s electoral defeat, which has already led to the blocking of more than a thousand stretches of road last year, an attempted act of terrorism at the DF airport, and so on. This same sector also announced its intention to invade Petrobras fuel distributors and fuel refineries in the coming days.
The ultra-right is intensifying its coup actions, mainly because the connivance of the army, the police forces of the states and the Federal police have encouraged this minority sector of the country to continue to act with a military coup project.
These facts show that the working class should not trust that the institutions of the Brazilian political regime will be consistent in the struggle against the coup actions of the ultra-right. Neither trusting that these institutions will carry to the last consequences the arrest, punishment and expropriation of all the coup perpetrators who finance, articulate and participate in these acts. Even because there are many people within these institutions who are actively involved in the construction of these actions.
We must mobilise the workers to defeat the ultra-right
Faced with this scenario, the labour and popular movement, the left parties, the labour union federations and the working class as a whole must give a strong response to these coup actions, by taking to the streets. Demonstrations must be called immediately throughout the country to repudiate the actions of the ultra-right. No truce for the coup plotters.
Only the mobilised working class can guarantee the definitive defeat of the ultra-right, imposing prison and punishment for all the coup plotters. The path of conciliation and negotiation with the ultra-right is a serious mistake and only helps this sector to continue to be active, encouraging the coup assaults of the most radical Bolsonarists.
In addition, the labour and popular movement of the country must carry forward initiatives to organise the self-defence of the working class to confront the ultra-right militias and their fascist methods.
We demand:
– Detention of Anderson Torres and the leaders of the DF police forces and of all the public agents who collaborated directly and indirectly in the coup actions of January 8;
– Arrest, punishment and expropriation of all the organisers, articulators and financiers of the coup actions of the ultra-right, starting with Bolsonaro and his family.
– No truce to the coup plotters, immediately call for demonstrations, acts and actions of the working class against the ultra-right and the coup movement;
– Organise the self-defence of the workers;
– In defence of democratic freedoms, dictatorship never again!
January 8, 2023
CSP Conlutas
International Labour Network of Solidarity and Struggle (ILNSS)