Maduro’s arrest by the US becomes a reason for clash between left and right in Brazil
The operation that resulted in the arrest of the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, by North American forces under the command of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, provoked friction and debates between politicians and influencers on the right and left in Brazil, especially on social media.
Gleisi Hoffman x Tarcísio de Freitas
The minister of Institutional Relations of the federal government, Gleisi Hoffmann (PT) criticized the governor of the State of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).
In an interview with Estadão last Saturday, the 3rd, Tarcísio stated that “there is a feeling that Maduro’s regime was unsustainable. It was bad for the region, it harmed neighboring countries and had consequences for other countries. A bad regime for South America in every way.”
Asked about the Lula government’s rejection of the North American operation, he stated: “This operation occurs due to the omission of countries that did not lead the process. Brazil could have helped Venezuela. There was never, on the part of Brazil, the leadership in recent years to lead this transition process, so that Venezuela could actually migrate to a democracy.”
Gleisi reacted to the statements in
Nikolas Ferreira x Jones Manoel
Federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) exchanged insults with influencer Jones Manoel on X. Jones was a candidate for the governor of Pernambuco by the PCB in 2022, when he received 0.7% of the votes. Currently, he is considering joining the PSOL to seek election as federal deputy. He is known for defending more radical left-wing ideas on YouTube and other social media. In 2020, his name gained prominence when it was mentioned by Caetano Veloso as inspiration in an interview with Pedro Bial. Subsequently, he participated in several debates with repercussions on social networks.
Ferreira posted a montage with the image of Lula’s face being escorted by United States military personnel, similar to what would have happened with Maduro. “You’re hoping that a foreign power invades ‘your country’ and kidnaps the elected president, but you’re crying and crying because the banned Bolsonaro was arrested with the right to trial and full defense. He’s a complete worm, an imbecile,” replied Jones. Nikolas ironized the criticism: “so, okay, let us know anything.”
Brazilian parties take a position
The PT released a statement in which it “strongly condemns the military aggression of the United States of America against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its people”. “The bombing in Caracas and the kidnapping of the president constitute the most serious international aggression recorded in South America in the 21st century.”
The PSOL speaks of “criminal action by the United States, which violates the self-determination of Venezuela and Latin America” and which “generated panic among the civilian population”, calling the arrest of Nicolás Maduro a “forced disappearance”. Also in a note, the PCdoB considered the North American actions as “international terrorism”.
Novo, on social media, celebrated the arrest as “the best news Venezuelans have received in decades”, linking Maduro to “censorship, arbitrary arrests, torture, executions, narcostate and misery”.
Agir considered the former Venezuelan president as “an authoritarian and criminal tyrant, responsible for subjugating, oppressing and impoverishing the people” responsible for “the destruction of democratic institutions and serious violations of human rights”.
The PSDB, in turn, “repudiates the North American invasion of Venezuela because it is a “violation of the sovereignty of a country”, but considered “the authoritarian regime of Nicolás Maduro” as “a dictatorship that suppressed freedoms, destroyed institutions, impoverished its population and caused a serious humanitarian crisis”.
