Political violence is on the rise in Brazil. As the election approaches —October 2 for the first round— tempers are flaring and cases of partisan violence are accumulating.

At the start of July, a homemade bomb with feces was detonated in the middle of a rally of former president and current candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Rio de Janeiro. Nobody was injured, and the perpetrator was arrested. The incident came after a drone three feces, urine, and pesticides at supporters of the former president in Belo Horizonte in June. 

But the worst was yet to come.

Marcelo Arruda, a supporter of the Workers’ Party (PT in Portuguese), was celebrating his 50th birthday in Foz do Iguaçu when a supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro barged in and started shouting slogans in defense of the right-winger. After a brief argument, Jorge José da Rocha Guaranho left but then returned armed, murdering Arruda, who managed to fight back and wound the killer.

Full article at Latino Rebels’ website. Date of publication: 01/08/2022.