Political violence puts Brazil on alert

Less than two weeks after a Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman was brutally murdered, Brazil has witnessed two more high-profile episodes of political violence. The first was against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Shots were fired at two of the three buses used in his political roadshow in the southern region of Brazil. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.

On the same day, Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin (who oversees Operation Car Wash in Brazil’s top court) declared in an interview that his family has received threats, but didn’t elaborate.

At this point, all red flags are up. Brazil has reached worrisome levels of political radicalization, which has been fueled by the country’s leading actors.

This process of polarization perhaps was fueled by former President Dilma Rousseff, who ran a dishonest and divisive campaign in 2014. It became more troublesome during the 2016 impeachment crisis, when her detractors doubled down on the hate speech against political adversaries. And things are only getting worse.

Political violence against Lula

Lula’s roadshow across the south of Brazil has been marked by tension and acts of violence. During one rally, protesters threw eggs and rocks at the former president. In another, Lula’s security crew was physically attacking hecklers that tried to disturb the rally. A reporter who filmed the episode was also attacked.

Despite...