Protests lose momentum due to vandalism and fail to achieve their objective.

Sergipe 247 – The protests in Aracaju are losing momentum. Since the first edition of the "Acorda Aracaju" movement on June 20th, when the protest gathered more than 20 people, public participation has dropped considerably. At yesterday's edition (the 4th), only 600 people were present. Vandalism, which was a prominent feature of the second and third editions of the protests, has been considered the main factor driving the community away. 

Still, those who participated in the meeting at the end of the protest this Tuesday (2) heard from the demonstration coordinators that it is necessary to radicalize the acts, with vandalism, so that the group's demands are met. They want the revocation of the fare increase to R$ 2,25. The public relations officer of the Military Police, Lieutenant Colonel Paiva, confirmed the information this Wednesday (3), in interviews on radio programs.

Yesterday's demonstration was generally peaceful; nevertheless, four people were arrested – one of them for throwing a rock at the city hall building. There was also another attack on the press. Some people threw stones and used a skateboard against the vehicle of TV Atalaia, an affiliate of Rede Record, which was covering the team at the scene.

According to a report by Portal Terra, at the end of the gathering, protesters set fire to a turnstile and launched fireworks. The group spoke about the purpose of the protests and criticized the local press for its coverage of the other three events, as well as the Public Prosecutor's Office, the City Council, and the Aracaju City Hall. According to one of the coordinators of the "Não Pago" (I Don't Pay) Movement, Demétrio Varjão, there cannot be a division between protesters and vandals. "The press made a division and placed two groups in the demonstration: vandals and protesters. We don't accept that. We are all fighting for something that was taken from us. We are all equal," said Varjão, speaking to about 300 protesters who remained at the end of the gathering.

Demétrio Varjão pointed out that the population cannot expect action from the City Council, where a document detailing all the fraud was presented, and yet the fare increase was approved. According to him, the people see no action from the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Sergipe Court of Justice doing its part. "We don't count on action from those in power for improvements. We've already proven there's fraud and nothing is done. There's no way to protest without vandalism, because only then will they look at us," he stated.

In Aracaju, the public transport fare costs R$ 2,35 and the protesters demand that it be returned to R$ 2,25, the value that was valid until the beginning of May, when the fare was readjusted to R$ 2,45. After the removal of PIS and Cofins taxes by the Federal Government, the price fell to R$ 2,35, a value that is not accepted by the protesters. The next mobilization will be held on Friday (5). The meeting point will once again be at Praça Fausto Cardoso, in front of the headquarters of the Court of Justice of Sergipe (TJ/SE), from 15 pm.

Journalist Cláudio Nunes, who writes a blog for the Infonet Portal, commented in today's edition on the reduced participation of people in the protests in the capital of Sergipe:

Wake up Aracaju: Vandalism throws stones at support structure

Haven't the leaders of the "Acorda Aracaju" movement realized that they've lost the support of a large part of the population – including the protesters who were present at the first demonstration – because they chose to defend and "mask" the vandals who have been damaging public property, assaulting public servants and members of the press?

When, at the end of the third act, the Free Fare Movement sent a statement not condemning the vandalism that occurred at the city hall headquarters, where buses were damaged and burned, but claiming that the mayor of Aracaju and the city councilors were the ones committing the real vandalism, the blog understood that the leaders missed the chance to engage in dialogue with popular support. They chose to radicalize and even politicize the movement.

Those who attack law enforcement officers, municipal guards, and military police are vandals. They deserve to be jailed! Those who assault and threaten media professionals, who, like the police, are on the streets as workers, are vandals and cowards. They must respect all professionals, regardless of the media outlets they work for.

And sending derogatory or even threatening comments is pointless. The author of this space has faced worse fights. Those who abandon dialogue and choose chaos and destruction as their primary option are the real vandals.

Hostility, vandalism, and violence are words that the peaceful population of Aracaju has long abhorred. And that's why the "Wake Up Aracaju" movement was so poorly attended. Yesterday, the 3rd, the movement had an insignificant number of participants, just over 500 people. This is a result of the vandalism and hostility of the 03rd protest. Those who need to wake up today are not only the authorities and politicians, but also the leaders of the movement who are missing the boat.

By throwing stones at the City Hall, the movement ended up undermining its credibility and losing popular support.

Photos: Jornal do Dia