In the initial five days of a military police strike which began on 19th of Februaryin the north-eastern province of Ceará, 147 people have been reported as dead, due to aggressive killings. It is the time for summertime extravaganza carnival celebrations and it has been a rough start.
Violence and looting sparked by a police strike in Brazil’s Espírito Santo state continued for a fifth straight day Wednesday, raising concerns that chaos could spread to other parts of the country and threaten government austerity measures.
Strike was performed by the police demanding a compensation appraisal.The violence has led to the cancellation of carnival festivities in several cities at what is the height of the summer holiday season.
Under Brazilian law Police officers are banned from going on strikes, and last week a court in Ceará ruled that those defying the ban could face prison.More than 200 striking police officers have been suspended in recent days.
“Of course, police strikes could spread,” said lawmaker Guilherme da Cunha of the state of Minas Gerais, where police obtained a 42 per cent salary increase this year after threatening to strike. “From the moment people who have a monopoly on firearms discover the strength it has, there is a risk.”
In Ceara, violent crime has risen sharply during the police strike, with at least 88 people killed over three day. Bolsonaro has sent hundreds of National Guard forces and 2,500 soldiers to maintain order.
The military is currently patrolling the roads of cities as well as community throughout the Cearástate.The murder rate is 5 times more than common, regardless of the release of the military to patrol the roads. The physical violence has actually brought about the termination of circus celebrations in a number of cities at what is the elevation of the summertime holiday.
On Monday, Defence Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva as well as Justice Minister Sergio Moro got here in Ceará’s resources Fortaleza to manage the military’s reaction to the policing dilemma.“The situation is now under control,” Mr Moro stated.
Mayors in several of the state’s small cities — 30,000 inhabitants or less — canceled Carnival celebrations. In Paracuru, where authorities were expecting 40,000 revelers a day, the mayor said he was no longer able to ensure security in his city’s streets.
Even though police strikes are illegal in Brazil, other states are at risk of seeing similar protests, lawmakers and public security experts told The Associated Press. In Alagoas state, civil police, in charge of investigating crimes, have been on strike for two weeks.
“The governor has made a lot of empty promises to the military police. At some point, that bomb can explode,” said lawmaker Davi Maia, who has met police in Congress to discuss their demands.
In Paraiba, military police organized a 12-hour strike on Feb. 19. In Santa Catarina, public security agents threatened to slow work to a bare minimum, paralyzing operations to an extent but avoiding illegal strikes. In Rio, one association of municipal guards, who police city parks and properties, began a strike Saturday, during Carnival.
Police strikes aren’t new, according to IlonaSzabó, co-founder of a security research center, the Igarapé Institute. A study by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul showed that between 1997 and 2017, Brazil had 715 police strikes, but only 52 by military police.
