Coronavirus

House Speaker hits back at digital ‘gunslingers’ in social media post

House Speaker Rodrigo Maia used his Twitter account to denounce the creation of a fake profile in his name that has been misinforming people on social media. Mr. Maia called them members of a “digital militia,” the same name many opposition politicians use to describe the bot attacks in favor of President Bolsonaro and his sons. On Twitter, hashtags supporting Mr. Bolsonaro have quickly risen to the top of the website’s trending topics. “To these ‘gunslingers,’ I say: ‘the dogs may bark, but the caravan keeps moving forward,” wrote the Speaker. Rodrigo Maia is being asked to accept one of the several impeachment requests against President Bolsonaro. 

Mr. Maia’s tweet came soon after São Paulo Governor João Doria said anonymous criminals are threatening him and his family. Coincidentally, those attacks — as well as hashtags calling for Mr. Doria’s impeachment — sprouted after he began criticizing President Bolsonaro’s stance on the coronavirus outbreak.

Lucas Berti

Lucas Berti covers international affairs — specialized in Latin American politics and markets. He has been published by Opera Mundi, Revista VIP, and The Intercept Brasil, among others.

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