Police in Mato Grosso state report that a 42-year-old man was killed on Wednesday night as the result of a heated political argument.
Rafael Silva de Oliveira, 24 — a supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro — confessed to stabbing and killing Lula-supporting Benedito Cardoso dos Santos, after the pair became involved in an argument about Brazilian politics. The incident took place in the city of Confresa, roughly 1,100 kilometers from state capital Cuiabá.
“Divergent political opinions led to the crime. The victim was defending Lula, and the perpetrator was defending Bolsonaro”, police chief Victor Oliveira told news portal G1.
The incident adds to a growing list of political violence in Brazil.
Last week, a police officer shot the leg of a fellow churchgoer in the city of Goiânia after a political argument. The victim, Davi Augusto de Souza, argued against the church’s preachers putting pressure on their congregation not to vote for left-wing candidates — and urging them to vote for President Jair Bolsonaro instead.
On July 9, pro-Bolsonaro penitentiary officer Jorge Guaranho shot dead Marcelo Arruda, a municipal guard, who had thrown a Lula-themed birthday party in the southern city of Foz do Iguaçu. Mr. Guaranho is in jail and will face charges of aggravated homicide.
Last month, the House Human Rights Committee held a public hearing on the security of the 2022 election. Edson Borowski, a coordinator at justice system workers union Fenajufe, expects that “extreme political violence” is likely to happen around Election Day.
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