Violence takes police back to the times of Erasmão.

247 – The violent repression by the São Paulo State Military Police in the central region of the capital, on the night of Thursday the 13th, finds its only parallel, as a historical episode, in the invasion of the Pontifical Catholic University in 1977 by the troops of the then Secretary of Security Erasmo Dias da Silva, known as Erasmão. Under his command, no fewer than 1,1 students were arrested, thus preventing them, on that occasion, from refounding the National Union of Students.

Now, there have been 200 arrests, but the violence was much greater. Firing rubber bullets at people's faces – reporter Giuliana Vallone, from Folha de S. Paulo, had her eye intentionally and therefore criminally hit while performing her duties with proper credentials – arresting bystanders who had nothing to do with the protest, distributing blows with batons and releasing tear gas bombs, the Military Police, as the results show, acted excessively in their monitoring and surveillance of the protest.

A survey by the Datafolha institute, published today, shows that 78% of the public in São Paulo considers popular protests around issues such as bus fare prices to be normal and democratic. The Military Police, it became clear, think differently. With its structure that replicates the ranks of the Army, the corporation still operates in the same way as during the military regime.

Their guiding role is reduced to zero in the most complex moments, giving way to an excessively repressive face, with the use of weapons, dogs, and equipment not in defense of the population, but against it. This was seen yesterday, when the entire police apparatus was unleashed on a march that was proceeding peacefully, as shown live on television, until provocations from both sides degenerated into scenes of barbarity.

Despite writing on his Twitter account on May 30th of this year that "respect for human and civil rights is a hallmark of São Paulo, a commitment of the State," Governor Geraldo Alckmin, in practice, showed that he doesn't know how to deal with dissenting masses. The Military Police don't "lower the batons," as they say, without superior guarantees that the action should be carried out on a hard line. Disciplined, the troops react to orders, and yesterday, as in the old days of Colonel Erasmão, using rubber bullets, firing shots, and spreading tear gas was permitted.

Alckmin's statement lost all meaning when the Military Police under his command contributed to transforming what was a legitimate demonstration into a criminalized act. Alckmin, a member of the PSDB party, may not know it, but mass demonstrations occur in all major cities around the world, for a variety of reasons, and do not necessarily end in bloodshed. For example, the popular demonstration in Istanbul's Taksim Square this week against the installation of an urban development project was peaceful. To avoid confrontation, the authorities ordered the police forces to withdraw. Previously, in earlier demonstrations, violence had dominated the scene.

To manage potentially conflictive situations, behavioral protocols are created, which must be followed by both protesters and state forces. By acting according to the rules of Brazil's dictatorial past, the Military Police showed its true character.

To give a fitting response to the barbarity committed, Alckmin only has one signal to give to the troops, indicating that this manner cannot be repeated: to immediately dismiss the commander of the Military Police. If Colonel Benedito Roberto Meira is in command of the troops, the instruction is wrong – and therefore he must be removed. If the troops acted against his orders, for the opposite reason they should lose their posts.

Below are two examples of violence perpetrated by the Military Police in São Paulo this Thursday. The first video shows police officers attacking the press: 

In this second video, a police officer breaks the window of his own patrol car with his baton: