Pro-Bolsonaro truckers snarl traffic on Brazil highways
ABC News
Truckers have snarled traffic on several Brazilian highways in a show of support for President Jair Bolsonaro even as he pleaded for them to let cars pass
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Truckers protested along highways in more than half of Brazil’s states on Thursday, snarling traffic on some as they offered a show of support for President Jair Bolsonaro even as he pleaded for them to let vehicles pass. A joint bulletin from the Infrastructure Ministry and Federal Highway Police said truckers were concentrated on federal highways in 15 states of Brazil’s 27 states. It said the police had opened several highways in the morning, and that protests were no longer blocking all of traffic. Bolsonaro rallied demonstrations on Tuesday to coincide with Independence Day and show strength as his approval ratings slide and he feuds with the Supreme Court. Truckers turned out in force, even parking on the capital's central mall. They remain mobilized two days later, raising concern that Bolsonaro may have lost control of his supporters after firing them up with incendiary rhetoric. Truckers were leery of the authenticity of an audio message Bolsonaro recorded in which he asked them to stand down and expressed concern blockages could further stoke inflation and cause shortages. His infrastructure minister, Tarcisio Gomes de Freitas, recorded a video late Wednesday assuring them the president's audio was real.More Related News