Viana criticizes violence against protesters.
"I think the worst remedy being used to try to end the demonstrations is the use of violence," the Workers' Party senator said on Monday; according to him, it is necessary to identify the real problems in the cities and understand that the protests are based on concrete situations.
The Senate Agency - Senator Jorge Viana (PT-AC) stated this Monday (17) that the demonstrations held in recent days reflect dissatisfaction with life in the cities. For the senator, before finding culprits, it is necessary to understand what causes the dissatisfaction, which in his opinion is legitimate.
Jorge Viana said that it is necessary to identify the real problems in Brazilian cities and understand that the protests are based on concrete situations.
"And I think the worst remedy being used to try to end the protests is the use of violence," he criticized.
As an example of the "unhealthy" conditions of life in large cities, the senator mentioned public transportation. He recalled that, in São Paulo, for example, many people, especially the poorest, spend a large part of their day commuting to work.
Despite the poor quality of service, the fare is equivalent to 14 minutes of work, ten times more than in Buenos Aires, for example.
The senator said there were many advances during the PT government years, such as increased income and the fight against poverty. He observed, however, that when progress occurs, the population wants more. He considered this a positive fact, "unlike the methods being used against the protests."
Jorge Viana criticized, for example, the police's use of rubber bullets, which are considered non-lethal weapons.
"Yes, it is lethal. It's less lethal than conventional bullets, but it kills. Depending on where the person is hit, they die. And I've never seen so many police officers in this country using lethal weapons against demonstrations, against protesters. It's unacceptable," he stated.
Jorge Viana recalled that he was governor of Acre for eight years, having faced protests through dialogue, and remembered that he had been on that side. For him, the criticism that the current generation is "without a cause" is unfounded because the cause, although not political or partisan, is just.
In a separate statement, Senator Paulo Paim (PT-RS) defended dialogue and said that "criminalizing social movements has become fashionable."
Watch Jorge Viana's speech below: