According to the secretary, the deputy acted correctly in shooting at the MST.

"It's very easy for people to judge after the fact. The undersecretary acted instinctively, with the resources he had at the time. We have authority and we only ask for respect. We live in a democracy, but it's unacceptable for someone to enter a building that represents security and do whatever they want," says the Secretary of Public Security (SSP), Maurício Barbosa; it's worth remembering that two years ago the state government bought almost a ton of beef for the landless people who were camped in the same place; yesterday, however, the reception was gunfire; something has changed.

September 11, 2013, 15:07 PMUpdated May 27, 2019, 08:36 AM

"It's very easy for people to judge after the fact. The undersecretary acted instinctively, with the resources he had at the time. We have authority and we only ask for respect. We live in a democracy, but it's unacceptable for someone to enter a building that represents security and do whatever they want," says the Secretary of Public Security (SSP), Maurício Barbosa; it's worth remembering that two years ago the state government bought almost a ton of beef for the landless people who were camped in the same place; yesterday, however, the reception was gunfire; something has changed (Photo: Romulo Faro)

Bahia 247

The head of the Public Security Secretariat of Bahia (SSP), Maurício Barbosa, assessed the attitude of the undersecretary Ary Pereira, to fire three shots to disperse the invasion of members of the Landless Workers Movement into the agency's headquarters, this Tuesday (10), as correct.

Maurício Barbosa defended his assistant and criticized the actions of the protesters who were demanding swift investigations into the death of Fábio dos Santos Silva, a member of the MST (Landless Workers' Movement) murdered in April of this year in Iguaí, in the southwest of the state.

"The video itself shows how the movement arrived. More than 300 people stormed the building with scythes and machetes. There was no prior notice nor was a hearing requested. The decision (to shoot) was correct. First, because we had staff, police officers, weapons, documents, computerized systems... A building like this cannot be taken over. It is a disrespect to the agency and to those who have always treated the movements very well. If they had any doubts, they should have requested a hearing and we would have attended to it promptly. Especially since we have a group formed to investigate crimes in the countryside," said the secretary in an interview with the Bahia Notícias website.

According to the secretary, the landless workers "acted disproportionately." "This was the means that avoided threatening the physical integrity of the people. Who knows what their animosity is? To assume that this type of situation is normal is not correct."

Maurício Barbosa also said that the undersecretary acted "instinctively" in yesterday's incident. "It's very easy for people to judge after the fact. The undersecretary acted instinctively, with the resources he had at the time. We have authority and we only ask for respect. We live in a democracy, but it is unacceptable for someone to enter a building that represents state security and do whatever they want," the secretary said in an interview with Metrópole radio.

As Levi Vasconcelos rightly pointed out in his column "Tempo Presente" in today's A Tarde newspaper, two years ago the state government bought almost a ton of prime beef for the landless peasants who were camped in the same place. Yesterday, however, the reception was gunfire. Something has changed.