Claudio Castro's fake news about the "lack of federal aid"

Do Coffee

Worse than incompetence is cowardice — and Cláudio Castro embodies both. The governor of Rio de Janeiro proved incapable of conducting a large-scale police operation and, faced with the disaster, preferred to blame President Lula to escape his responsibilities.

Operation Containment mobilized approximately 2.500 security forces to halt the advance of the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) and execute 100 arrest warrants. Four police officers were killed, sixty suspects died in confrontations, and 81 people were arrested. Seventy-five rifles were also seized.

Beyond the loss of human lives, it is necessary to consider the damage caused by the chaos in the city: the terror in the communities, the traffic jams, the closure of schools, health centers and hospitals, the barricades, the widespread fear, the complete collapse of routine. It was a day when Rio came to a standstill under fire and panic.

On the same day, Cláudio Castro called a press conference to defend himself — and, instead of taking responsibility, he tried to fabricate a narrative. With a trembling voice, he stated that Rio was “alone.” He lied.

He himself admitted that he did not request federal assistance. He did not contact the Federal Police, the Armed Forces, or the Ministry of Justice. Even so, he tried to convince the public that the Federal Government had denied him support. To do this, he used a distorted justification: he said that, on other occasions, the government had required a form to authorize the Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO). What needs to be made clear—and the press, unfortunately, ended up falling into Cláudio Castro's trap—is that he did not ask for, nor did he request, support from the federal government for today's operation. Period.

The Minister of Justice himself, Ricardo Lewandowski, confirmed the information. He stated that Governor Cláudio Castro did not request support for today's police operation.

Among the 81 arrested, it is not yet known who they are, nor their degree of dangerousness. Between the dead and suspects, it is unclear how many actually belonged to gangs or how many were simply residents caught in the crossfire. And it will not be the first time that the city discovers, days later, that among the dead were several innocent people—victims of a disastrous and reckless operation.

What is clear is the political objective: to stir up fascist sentiment in society. This tactic, which the far right uses worldwide, is especially effective in Brazil. It was with this tactic that Bolsonaro came to power. In Rio de Janeiro, it always works.

The operation, conducted without planning and used as a spectacle, served to divert public attention amidst the positive wave surrounding Lula after his meeting with Donald Trump. Chaos was created, and upon it, a lie was erected.

The left, in turn, needs to be careful when reacting to this type of manipulation. When criticizing the excesses of the security forces, it is pushed into the rhetorical trap of appearing to "defend criminals"—a distortion that undermines public debate and weakens the fight for a rational and humane security policy.

For the country, considering the national interest and given that public safety is, in fact, a tragedy in the lives of millions of Brazilians, the federal government will need to think very quickly this time and use this crisis in Rio de Janeiro as a great opportunity to advance the agenda—the Public Safety Amendment—and generate a constructive, urgent, and assertive debate. This debate needs to involve society with creative ideas and clearly convey that the authorities elected by popular vote are radical enemies of banditry and organized crime. This message will be essential to prevent the return of fascist sentiments in society and contain the advance of the far right in 2026, which will try, once again, to manipulate the public safety agenda with lies and easy solutions.