CPI: Abin says influencers profited from 8/1 – 07/10/2023 – Politics

Reports produced by Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) indicate that digital influencers played a central role in the radicalization that led to the invasion of the headquarters of the three Powers, in addition to having made money with the coup attacks of January 8.

The documents were delivered to the CPI on the 8th of January and obtained by Sheet. The agency claims that influencers strengthen narratives; they channel personal and collective grievances and resentments into political criticisms against governments and institutions; stimulate polarization; and incite others to violence.

“[Eles] help in the creation of a polarized vision, from which hostility is directed towards a target whose existence is considered a threat. Although individuals with this profile generally do not participate in actions with a higher degree of violence, their role is essential in inciting other people to carry out acts of violent extremism”, he says.

One of those mentioned by Abin is Adriano Luiz Ramos de Castro, participant of the first edition of the BBB (Big Brother Brazil). The agency claims that he was at the coup camp in front of the Salvador Military Command, invaded the headquarters of the three Powers and broadcast it live on YouTube.

During the live, he congratulated the invaders and justified violence as a “legitimate response” from society against the “disregards” of the STF (Federal Supreme Court). The video was deleted, but his channel not only remained active but gained more than a thousand subscribers after the coup acts.

Planaltina de Goiás councilor Genival Fagundes (PL) also broadcast the invasion live and in loco via YouTube, according to the agency. The channel was deactivated by him, but, according to Abin estimates, it earned at least R$ 135,000.

“The broadcast yielded dividends paid by the platform to Genival Fagundes’ channel, Politics without Curve. While broadcasting, Fagundes narrated acts and exalted the invaders, defended the action and guided the participants”, describes the report.

Elaine Helena Roque retransmitted and commented live on her YouTube channel on the January 8 attacks. The video —already deleted— had more than 42,000 views and received dividends paid by YouTube, according to Abin.

“While commenting, he defended the rupture of the democratic order and the acts of violence. He justified the invasions and the violent alternative for politics. He hoped that the Military Police and the Armed Forces would join the protests”, says the document.

“Furthermore, he celebrated his realization that the Brazilian Army would not avoid invasions and demonstrations of support by the police forces.”

The invasion of the buildings of the Supreme Court, the Congress and the Planalto Palace was broadcast in real time and organized by social networks. In another document delivered to the CPI, the agency points to the participation of extremists in Telegram groups.

In one of the groups, messages in support of the acts of January 8th were exchanged since the previous 4th. One of the men identified participates in 119 Telegram groups, including an extremist movement inspired by the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, which led to the fall of the elected government after violent demonstrations.

Abin claims that the Brazilian movement “is currently inactive, but its Telegram group has served as a stronghold for violent extremist individuals, who often try to form paramilitary groups.”

The man is also a member of a group dedicated “to the exchange of information on ordnance, politics and conspiracy theories”. The report also brings the profile of the person responsible for the war group.

The extremist “posts messages encouraging violence with weapons produced by the extremists themselves or through the acquisition of traditional weapons”. He presents a “radicalized profile and evidence of mobilization for violence”.

When contacted, Genival Fagundes said that he has been following demonstrations in Brasília since 2019 and that “at no time” did it cross his mind “that there would be those acts of vandalism”. He stated that he intends to produce a documentary with the people who are being prosecuted.

The councilor also said that his channel was permanently removed on January 9 because, according to YouTube, he failed to comply with the platform’s guidelines.

YouTube was asked about the users who streamed the acts of vandalism, but did not respond as of this writing. Telegram’s defense said it was not authorized to give interviews.

Former BBB Adriano Castro and Elaine Roque were not located by the report.

Last month, the Meta Supervisory Board (Oversight Board) stated that the platform was wrong to not remove videos that incited the invasion of Brasilia and failed to comply with its own rules prohibiting incitement to violence.

The body is independent, but financed by Meta — the company that owns Facebook and Instagram. The decision was motivated by a video on January 3 in which a general invited people to “besiege” the three Powers against the election of Lula (PT).

After the board selected this case for review, Meta claimed that its various decisions to keep scammer content online had been a mistake. Meta removed the video on January 20, more than two weeks after it was posted.