ANALYSIS
(LifeSiteNews) – In what many are saying is a repeat of what Justin Trudeau did to the Canadian truckers’ Freedom Convoy, protesters in Brazil who believe last month’s presidential election was stolen from incumbent Jair Bolsonaro are reportedly having their bank accounts frozen.
This development has occurred just days after the country’s top elections official banned conservative influencers from social media for contesting the results.
Brazil’s Supreme Court is seizing funds from protesters who won’t accept Bolsonaro’s defeat. Biden no doubt taking notes. https://t.co/HYFXsD7Y53
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) November 17, 2022
Bolsonaro, a populist nationalist leader who had a close relationship with former U.S. President Donald Trump, lost his re-election bid to socialist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on October 30 by a 49.1 to 50.9% margin. He initially refused to concede the race — a sign his supporters believed indicated a willingness to contest the results — but he has since been cooperating with the transition of power.
Following Bolsonaro’s loss, thousands of truck drivers parked their vehicles on hundreds of highways across the country. Rallies featuring tens of thousands of people have also been held in recent weeks, with protesters claiming the election was “stolen” the same way the 2020 US presidential race was.
Popular Brazilian journalist Bernado Küster spoke to LifeSite co-founder John-Henry Westen about the results.
Alexandre de Moraes, a Supreme Court justice who also serves as the country’s elections chief, is the man responsible for the crackdown on the doubters.
“Those who by criminal means have been taking part in anti-democratic acts, will be treated like criminals,” Moraes said, after suspending key Bolsonaro supporters from expressing their views online.
RELATED: Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro acknowledges election results but does not concede
In recent days, Moraes — who launched multiple investigations into Bolsonaro during his time in office — has ramped up his attacks on the peaceful protesters. Several outlets are reporting that he has blocked the bank accounts of more than 40 people and companies associated with the protests.
Moraes told an audience in New York this week that “democracy in Brazil was attacked, but it survived.” He added that the trend of casting doubt on elections “began in the United States, with the far-right, and spread to Eastern Europe and then to Brazil.”
Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo, an elected official in Brazil, is believed to have been at Mar-a-Lago recently. A photograph that supposedly shows him seated with former president Donald Trump, Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and former Trump Small Business secretary Linda McMahon was shared on Twitter this week. Lake — like Trump — has aggressively asserted that her race was fraught with election tampering.
