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AUTHORITARIANISM CANDIDATES DEMOCRACY ECONOMY ELECTION 2018

Savage Capitalism, Repackaged: Itau Bank’s “Partido Novo”

In late 2013  the formation of a new Brazilian Political Party was announced, called literally Partido Novo (New Party). Initially and opportunistically presented as if emerging from the protests that had swept Brasil that June, its libertarian, minimal state messaging was in stark contrast to the demands of those on the streets. These youngsters were depicted as […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM BLOG COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS DEMOCRACY EDITORIAL ELECTION 2018 INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LAVA JATO LAWFARE MEDIA SOVEREIGNTY THINK TANKS UNITED STATES

Media Watch: The Strange Return Of Coup-Denial

Two competing narratives on Brazil: one says Dilma Rousseff was deposed in a procedural Coup d’état and Lula’s imprisonment is to stop him becoming President again. The other says that all of the above is totally legit. One of these narratives has Wall Street and Big Oil right behind it. Can you guess which? Coup-Denial […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM CITIES CRIME RIO DE JANEIRO

Military Operation in Maré: Harassment, Illegality and Murder

The action lasted over 14 hours, leaving one dead, dozens of injured and thousands of angry citizens. As Rio de Janeiro’s military occupation reaches the 6 month mark, all analysis points to it’s colossal failure. Shootings have increased by 40%, there have been 2600 murders, and 736 people were killed by the police. The drug […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM DEMOCRACY ELECTION 2018 HOUSING MOVEMENTS SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

Supreme Court Guards Push and Kick Journalists/Hunger Strikers

Brasília. On July 31, as a group of 6 hunger strikers held a press conference in front of the Brazilian Supreme Court, a group of security guards came up and started pushing activists and journalists. A video that is circulating in the social media shows Gegê, 68, national leader of the CMP, being knocked over […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM CENSORSHIP DEMOCRACY ELECTION 2018

Free Lula Festival Draws 80,000 in Rio de Janeiro

On Saturday night, in front of a crowd of 80,000 and to chants of “Free Lula”, Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil sang the legendary protest song Cálice for the first time together since 1973, on a night when Military Dictatorship censors turned off Buarque’s microphone. It was a highlight of an evening with poetry and […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM CENSORSHIP DEMOCRACY ELECTION 2018 POLITICS SOCIAL NETWORKS

Brazilian Fake News Empire Falls, Questions Remain

by Brian Mier On July 25th, Facebook announced that it was shutting down 196 pages connected to the Koch Brothers/Atlas Foundation supported Movimento Brasil Livre (Free Brazil Movement/MBL) a fake news organization disguised as a social movement that is also funded by the DEM party (which is rooted in the official dictatorship party, ARENA). Since the 2016 Coup, […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM CANDIDATES ELECTION 2018 LAWFARE SOVEREIGNTY

“What are you afraid I will say?” says Lula

“An illegitimate government in its final months of power hurries to liquidate as much of the nation’s assets and sovereignty as possible – the pre-salt petroleum reserves, gas pipelines, energy distribution companies and petrochemical plants – and opens the Amazon region to foreign troops. While hunger resurfaces and children’s vaccination levels plummet, part of the judiciary fights […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM RIO DE JANEIRO SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Uncategorized

Rio Judge Gives 7 Year Sentence to June 2013 Protesters

On July 17th, a Rio de Janeiro judge sentenced 23 activists who participated in the June 2013 protests to prison sentences ranging from 5-7 years. Among the convicted is lawyer Eloisa Samy, who helped with their defense when they were initially arrested. In the following article, Dr. Ivana Bentes, Professor of Communications at Universidade Federal […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM CITIES CRIME RIO DE JANEIRO

“Lots of Gunfire, Little Intelligence”: Rio’s Military Failure

Deaths in massacres have increased while arms apprehensions have dropped, according to data from the Candido Mendes University Center for Security and Citizenship Studies’ (CESeC) Military Intervention Observatory. Five months after the start of the Rio de Janeiro military occupation, a new study shows the resounding failure of the operation, which was decreed by President […]

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AUTHORITARIANISM DEMOCRACY ELECTION 2018 LAVA JATO LAWFARE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

May Day 2018: All roads lead to Curitiba

April 30, 2018. Hundreds of buses have already arrived in Curitiba and hundreds more are traveling in caravans on route to this Southern Brazilian city of 3 million, where ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been held as a political prisoner for three weeks, for what promises to be the largest May Day protest […]