Jair Bolsonaro claimed armed forces could take to the streets of Brazil if COVID-19 restrictions cause chaos

The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, I affirm that the armed forces could take to the streets of the country to ensure order if restrictive measures taken by mayors and governors against COVID-10 promote what he called “chaos.”

In an interview with Critical television of Amazonas, the Head of State stressed that, if necessary, he will summon the army to “restore Article 5 of the Constitution”., which refers to the individual rights of the population, such as free movement or religious freedom.

According to the president, the measures adopted to stop the spread of the coronavirus are contrary to the Constitution, which guarantees the freedoms of citizens. The Federal Supreme Court has held, since April last year, that local authorities adopt restrictive measures during the pandemic.

April 12 Bolsonaro had already referred to what he calls “chaos”. He argued that “more and more people are losing their jobs, their income and their livelihoods. Chaos knocks on Brazilians’ doors. Ask what each of us can do for Brazil and its freedom and get ready, ”he said on his social networks.

On Friday, the president said that, in the event that “chaos” is caused in the country by the measures against COVID-19, has the plan of “how to enter the field”.

“I am with the 23 ministers who are talking about this: What if there is general chaos in Brazil? Because of hunger, because of the cowardly way some want to impose these restrictive measures to keep people indoors. The broth was not spilled last year due to emergency aid, ”he said.

In this regard, he added that your government will not be able to maintain assistance of 600 reais (nearly $ 110), amount that was paid until last year, due to the growing indebtedness of the public sector. And he reaffirmed that the restrictive measures violated Article 5 of the Constitution. “It hurt the Brazilian family. The number of suicides and desperation has increased», He concluded.

“The army in the streets”

Ten days ago, Bolsonaro spoke of the restrictions in Argentina and used the phrase: “The army in the streets”. He posted a message on Twitter, in which he highlighted not only the ban on driving, but also the presence of military forces on the streets of the city of Buenos Aires, as announced by Argentine President Alberto Fernández.

“The Argentine army in the streets to keep people at home. Curfew between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. (sic). Have a lovely day everybodyBolsonaro tweeted, with an image of Infobae in which the measure was highlighted. His next article referred to the task carried out by his country’s forces, stressing that “they are carrying 320 kilograms of health equipment and COVID-19 vaccines for the municipality of Boca do Acre, in the Amazon.”

Asked about Bolsonaro’s statement in a lengthy interview with Argentine radio Radio 10, Argentinian President Alberto Fernández tried to clarify that the ban for the population to circulate for almost half of the day could not be framed by a curfew. “We should explain a little to Jair Bolsonaro how the Constitution works“Said the Argentine president.

“In Argentina, there is no curfew; in Argentina, the armed forces do not provide internal security … I am very grateful for our army, navy and air force, which have collaborated in a magnificent way on the pandemic. Now I have asked them to help me set up health posts so that we can increase testing and deal with any situation that needs to be addressed, ”said the Argentinian head of state.

The announcement of the presence of the army in the streets was made by Fernández at the same time as he mentioned the control that the federal forces will exercise so that no one circulates between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. After the communication of the new presidential decree in which the measures were reported, various sectors of the Argentine capital and the suburbs demonstrated in disagreement with a new quarantine.

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