Evangelical and Catholic benches release note against PL of Fake News

This Tuesday (2), the date on which the vote on the Fake News PL is scheduled – a proposal that is the target of intense criticism for creating risks to freedom of expression on the internet – leaders of five parliamentary fronts of the National Congress released a joint note in which they guide votes against the bill.

The signatories are: Evangelical Parliamentary Front; Catholic Parliamentary Front, Parliamentary Front of the Family, Parliamentary Front Against the Early Sexualization of Children and Adolescents; and the Joint Parliamentary Front Against Abortion and in Defense of Life.

One of the points criticized by conservative leaders is the possibility of creating an “autonomous supervisory entity” which, according to the penultimate version of the bill, should be established by the Executive Branch. In practice, the Lula government would gain great powers to control what could or could not be said on the internet.

The device that provided for this measure was removed from the last version of the text, but deputies opposed to the bill fear that this and other controversial points that had been withdrawn will be taken up by surprise at the time of the vote. “It is inadmissible to issue a blank check so that the Executive can define by decree how and who will regulate and supervise digital platforms, and thus indirectly their users”, says the note.

The statement also states that the bill creates “serious threats to the plurality of ideas and Christian values” and highlights that the country’s legislation already has provisions to punish and combat excesses and crimes on the internet. At the same time, it condemns the strategy of members of the federal government and parliamentarians in favor of the proposal, who have been using the recent criminal attacks on schools to strengthen the discourse in favor of the Fake News PL.

“It is undemocratic for socially sensitive events to be used, such as attacks on schools and abuses against children on networks, to make fundamental rights more flexible, such as freedom of expression and religion. Such problems must be solved with serious and definitive solutions, and not be used as a pretext or smokescreen”, say the leaders who sign the note.

Despite the expressive vote of conservative parliamentarians contrary to the urgency requirement for the vote on the Fake News PL last week, deputy Silas Câmara (Republicanos-AM), who will lead the evangelical bench from the next semester, voted in favor of that the proposal go to the plenary urgently, that is, without going through the committees of the Chamber. The current president of the evangelical bench, deputy Eli Borges (PL-TO), voted against it.

Left-wing religious group asks deputies to approve Fake News PL

This Tuesday morning, a group of religious leaders who support Lula and are aligned with the political left held a press conference in the Green Room of the Chamber of Deputies to ask parliamentarians to vote in favor of the bill.

Among those present were Ricardo Gondim, Bispa Marisa, Friar Lorrane and Sérgio Dusilek – the latter resigned as president of the Carioca Baptist Convention last year after becoming involved in controversy for claiming that the Church should “ask President Lula for forgiveness” during the campaign election for the presidency.