Act marks protest against Fake News PL in Porto Alegre

Bill 2630/2020 – or PL of Fake News – he was target of protests this May 1st holiday in Porto Alegre. A group gathered in front of Moinhos de Vento Park, the Parcão, to demonstrate against the approval of the proposal and express opposition to the government Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

In the National Congress, there is an expectation that the project can be voted on this Tuesday (2) by parliamentarians in the Chamber of Deputies.

Wearing green and yellow, the militants carried banners and posters against the president, the PT, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and demands against what they characterize as censorship and for more freedom. In addition, themes such as printed votes and fraud in the 2022 elections were recurring themes among posters and protest cries.

The group gathered between 500 and 1,000 people on the corner of Avenidas Goethe and Mostardeiro, in the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood, a stronghold of Porto Alegre’s right wing. The act blocked Goethe at the height of the Parcão, but concentrated on the corner, without approaching the pedestrian walkway that passes over the avenue. The number of protesters did not come close to what was previously seen at Goethe, but it was the highest this year at the site.

Among federal and state deputies from right-wing parties, such as Novo and PL, was present the former constituent federal deputy and former chief minister of the Civil Cabinet of Brazil, Luís Roberto Ponte (MDB).

“(The protest) is small compared to what it should be. Whoever is here is aware that the only way left for us to reconstitute our freedom is to take to the streets. (…) I am beginning the fourth period of my life in the fight that unites us, for freedom and the fight against corruption”, said the former minister.

The Bill of Fake News, which creates the regulatory framework for the internet, may go to the vote this Tuesday in the Chamber of Deputies. Last Tuesday (25), the emergency regime of the project and the final text was filed on Thursday (27) by deputy rapporteur Orlando Silva (PCdoB-SP).

PL 2630/2020, in addition to being a proposal to combat the spread of false news on the internet, regulates the performance of big techs in the country, as GoogleMeta (owner of Facebook), Twitter and Tik Tok.

The text also creates the Brazilian Law of Freedom, Responsibility and Transparency on the Internet. The decision of whether or not to put the matter up for consideration by the deputies will be the subject of articulation between the federal government and the mayor, deputy Arthur Lira (PP-AL) this Tuesday.