"Dance" is a weapon against the ban on masks in protests.

Mariana Almeida _PE247*- A party instead of violence. Humor, joy, and water pistols instead of chaos, Molotov cocktails, and rubber bullets. That's what the "1st Damázio Masked Ball" promises, a demonstration that intends to react in a humorous way to the determination announced by the Secretary of Social Defense of Pernambuco, Wilson Damázio, to prohibit the use of masks in street demonstrations that defend the implementation of free public transportation and the establishment of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) to investigate irregularities in the public transportation sector. The event, organized by the Pernambuco Resistance Movement, will be held this afternoon in front of the building of the Secretariat of Social Defense (SDS), in the Santo Amaro neighborhood, in Recife.

The group states that the event will be peaceful and encourages protesters to wear masks, costumes, and carry irreverent signs. The movement's Facebook page features ideas for costumes and slogans for signs, all in a lighthearted tone. "We remind you that the event is entirely peaceful, and it's a way for us to ironically express our dissatisfaction with this decision! Bring your masks, your streamers, your party!", the text reads.

The event was initially scheduled for Friday (30), but was brought forward due to the bus strike, scheduled for the same day. “Most of our demonstrators are high school or university students. We brought the dance forward so that everyone can travel calmly and participate in the event,” explained Cristiano Vasconcelos, one of the leaders of the Pernambuco Resistance to Jornal do Commercio.

Of the more than 13 invited, just over 700 confirmed their presence by early afternoon on Tuesday (27). According to the protesters, on Monday (26), the Pernambucana resistance page was offline for several hours. “This had never happened before. Surely, it is already an action by the government to intimidate us,” speculates Vasconcelos.

Asked about the demonstration, the SDS press office informed that Secretary Wilson Damázio would not comment on the matter. The Public Ministry of Pernambuco (MPPE) promised to issue an official statement later this Tuesday (27) regarding the ban on the use of masks in street demonstrations in the capital. “Just covering your face with a mask is not a crime, but when you have a Molotov cocktail in your hand, it is a crime and you have to be arrested,” declared the Attorney General of Justice, Aguinaldo Fenelon. According to him, the constitutionality of the decision is being discussed internally.

The prosecutor met this Tuesday morning with representatives of the Public Transportation Struggle Front and other movements participating in the demonstrations. "We will listen to what the students have to say, what they want. We want to find alternative paths so that everything goes well," Fenelon stated.

On Monday (26), representatives of the State Government met, at the State Planning Secretariat, with the leadership of the Court of Justice and the Public Prosecutor's Office to discuss what procedures should be adopted by the authorities in street demonstrations. According to the State Planning Secretary, Frederico Amâncio, the meeting did not result in any position regarding the masked demonstrators.

“We didn’t discuss this or that specific demonstration [referring to the masked ball]. We wanted to hear from actors outside the government for a general understanding of the steps that should be taken,” he assured.

*Special for PE247