Feds launch operation against far-right call to arms

The Brazilian Federal Police is carrying out search and seizure warrants at various addresses today. The locations are linked to organizers of far-right protests due to being held on September 7 (Brazil’s Independence Day) against the Supreme Court. The main targets are country singer and former lawmaker Sérgio Reis and Congressman Otoni de Paula, of the Social Christian Party — both of whom are suspected of inciting riots.

During the weekend, Mr. Reis called for truck drivers to head to Brasília to advocate in favor of the return of paper ballots and the impeachment of Supreme Court justices. “If in 30 days they don’t get rid of these guys, we will storm in, break everything, and force them out,” Mr. Reis said on social media.

UPDATE: Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has issued a restraining order forbidding nine people from approaching the Three Powers Square (where the presidential palace and Congress and Supreme Court buildings are located). The list includes three people who attended meetings in the presidential palace last week.

As backlash mounted on social media, the singer published other videos, crying and claiming he “only wanted the Senate to consider impeaching the justices.”President Jair Bolsonaro promised to present impeachment requests for Justices Luís Roberto Barroso and Alexandre de Moraes. They are, respectively, the presiding judge of the Superior Electoral Court and the rapporteur of an investigation into far-right social media troll armies.

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