Enough! Anti-PT militias are violating Article 5 of the Constitution. The law must be upheld.

 History demonstrates that fascism feeds on the inaction of democrats. The second decade of the 20th century, for example, saw the birth of a hate movement against an ethnic group and a political-ideological ideology. Nazism was built on hatred of Jews and communists. Indeed, pointing to "common enemies of society" for public condemnation is the serpent's egg.

In recent weeks, this ideology of hate has given way to new attacks on public figures in São Paulo restaurants. Former ministers in Dilma Rousseff's government, Guido Mantega and Alexandre Padilha, were publicly insulted. In Mantega's case, for the second time this year he was expelled from a public place amidst a barrage of insults.

However, it is not only members of the Workers' Party, or the party itself, who have been the targets of verbal and even physical attacks. Citizens without party affiliation are being insulted and even physically assaulted by anti-PT militias that carry out raids on the streets of São Paulo with the aim of oppressing anyone who challenges their decision to harass those who express their political opinions.

There are organized groups that have been publicly announcing their fascist intentions to harass those with differing political opinions and to prevent public figures from even frequenting public places. Reader comments posted on the Facebook profile of Época magazine, in a link to an article about the recent attack on Guido Mantega, make this very clear.

As you can see, there is blatant preaching of intimidation against "PT supporters" who dare to appear in public places. Note, reader, that the comments seen in the image above do not specify whether the "PT supporters" who should be coerced into leaving public places are "only" those affiliated with the PT. Practice has shown that simply showing sympathy for the party is enough to be attacked.

Of course, politicians directly linked to the PT, as well as the party itself, have been targeted more forcefully – in recent months, for example, two PT directorates were targeted by... attacks Incendiary bombs, one in Jundiaí and another in the capital of São Paulo. And reports of physical and verbal attacks against anyone who can be identified as a supporter of the Workers' Party are increasing exponentially.

During last year's election process, a case made public by this blog scandalized the country.wheelchair user He was attacked in the street by four thugs in São Paulo for wearing a PT (Workers' Party) t-shirt and star.

Another case that recently surprised the country, also in São Paulo, was the attack by an anti-PT militia on the son of the PSDB-sympathizing blogger Ricardo Noblat. Guga Noblat is known for supposedly being a "PT supporter" and was harassed and pushed by this militia despite carrying his infant daughter in his arms.

This process of the eruption of fascism began in June 2013. On June 20 of that year, at a public event of the Free Fare Movement on Paulista Avenue intended to celebrate Mayor Fernando Haddad's reversal of the bus fare increase, members of the Workers' Party (PT) were attacked for carrying party symbols.

A confusion It began when PT (Workers' Party) militants arrived carrying the party's flags. They were met with insults and shouts of "opportunists" and "those involved in the Mensalão scandal." Harassed throughout the journey, PT members had to be protected by a human cordon.

About three weeks after calling for what they called the "June protests," the MPL, militants from left-wing parties opposed to the Dilma government, and groups linked to former presidential candidate Marina Silva... announced who would give up on further demonstrations, frightened by what they had created.

Since then, the streets have been taken over by far-right groups that advocate for a return to military dictatorship and have decided to prevent anyone who merely sympathizes with the PT (Workers' Party) from exercising their political freedom and freedom of expression in public.

These physical and verbal attacks against members and supporters of the Workers' Party (PT) violate the 1988 Constitution. A quick glance at the first clauses of Article 5 of the constitutional text, which deals with fundamental rights and guarantees, is enough to demonstrate this.

CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL

About fundamental rights and guarantees

Chapter I   

Individual and Collective Rights and Duties

Art. 5 Everyone is equal before the law, without distinction of any kind, guaranteeing Brazilians and foreigners residing in the country the inviolability of the right to life, liberty, equality, security and property, in the following terms:

IV – Freedom of expression is guaranteed, anonymity being prohibited;

 VIII – no one shall be deprived of rights on account of religious belief or philosophical or political conviction, unless they invoke them to evade a legal obligation imposed on all and refuse to perform an alternative service established by law;

If "freedom of expression" is guaranteed, then anyone expressing opinions favorable to a particular political group is having their freedom curtailed. If no one can be "deprived of rights on account of religious belief or philosophical or political conviction," then attacks on members and supporters of the Workers' Party (PT) also violate this constitutional provision.

According to article 127 of the Constitution, “The Public Prosecutor's Office is a permanent institution, essential to the jurisdictional function of the State, responsible for defending the legal order, the democratic regime, and the non-negotiable social and individual interests."In cases of rights violations such as these attacks on PT members and supporters, the Public Prosecutor's Office should act independently of provocation to guarantee freedom of thought."

Anyone who is unable to display the symbol of a duly registered and legal political party is having their rights violated due to political conviction, which is prohibited by article VIII of the Constitution.

The reason why no member of the Public Prosecutor's Office has yet bothered to take action may seem a mystery, but it is not. This omission is due to a process of dismantling individual rights and guarantees that has been gaining momentum since June 2013 and, from what we can see, is only likely to increase.

The fact remains: either the Brazilian Public Prosecutor's Office is being politically intimidated or it is being complicit in the ongoing violation of rights.

Many people are affected by these threats to the Individual Rights and Guarantees enshrined in the Constitution. At the very least, hundreds of thousands of citizens feel intimidated in exercising their constitutional right to freedom of expression regarding political opinions.

This enormous contingent of citizens, whose rights are being usurped by organized militias operating outside the law, needs to decide whether it will passively accept what is happening.

But how can we refuse to accept this? There is only one appropriate reaction: the law, outside of which there is no salvation. The laws that guarantee individual rights and guarantees must be invoked.

Ideally, any citizen who is the target of attempts to repress their political opinion should file a lawsuit against the aggressor. In this respect, the most visible targets of these aggressions could take legal action.

Former ministers Alexandre Padilha and Guido Mantega, for example, would be doing a great service to democracy if they sued the aggressors who publicly insulted them. By not reacting, they encourage further attacks against themselves and others, including those who merely sympathize with the PT (Workers' Party) but are not affiliated with the party.

However, we cannot demand a reaction only from politicians. It is up to each citizen to defend their rights not only in self-defense, but also in defense of the community. In this respect, it is worth reading the comment by reader Sergio L., in [link/publication name]. previous post:

Sent on 05/26/2015 at 03:13

"The reaction cannot and should not come from a solitary act. There is an immense risk of it becoming a pretext for further aggression, including physical aggression. The strength for the reaction will lie in unity.

What I see is that the PT, with all its mistakes and successes, is made up, in its vast majority, of democratic, republican, and civilized people, yet firm in their opinions. It is far ahead of its time!

I, at 52 years old and living in upscale neighborhoods/schools in the capital of São Paulo, have never met a single supporter of the Workers' Party (PT) by sheer fate. EVERYONE/family member, girlfriend, and friend I've had/have hates the PT, voted for figures like Maluf, and idolizes the PSDB/Alckmin and the State.

Can you imagine the political apartheid I've lived under my whole life… I feel like a Jew living in a Nazi state, where I can't even express my political convictions. The people who come here, or are attracted to it, are, in their vast majority, selfish, prejudiced, and materialistic. And all of this is reflected in these deplorable attitudes."

This is the story of hundreds of thousands of Brazilians who today hide their political ideas for fear of various types of repression, all illegal, unconstitutional, and often criminal.

If you feel like the reader Sergio L. and accept living with this, know that what is happening is only the beginning. Today, you cannot express your political opinions in public places, but by condoning fascism, know that sooner or later you will not have freedom even within your own home.

If this escalating action by anti-PT militias continues, it's not an exaggeration to suppose that, at some point, they will begin invading the homes of those "suspected" of harboring political convictions that these fascist groups have decided to make "illegal." If society doesn't react while there's still time, when it wakes up it may be too late.

At this point, it is worth reminding the reader that, in addition to legal action against those who assault someone for expressing their political views, there is a collective measure that can be taken at the right time. The community can involve the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Such a measure would only be feasible if it stemmed from a widespread feeling of discontent with the situation described above. How many would truly be willing to defend their rights? Is there already a collective willingness to act, or will we have to wait for the situation to worsen even further?

The decision isn't everyone's; it's yours. Only yours. If you decide not to remain silent, not to surrender, a great step will already have been taken. But if you remain silent, if you accept self-censorship, even if you don't know it, you will be taking an equally great step towards giving up your citizenship. The choice is yours.