GSI denies “facilitation”, but admits insufficient staff on January 8

The Minister of the Institutional Security Office (GSI), General Marcos Antônio Amaro dos Santos, said that there was no “facilitation” during the invasion of the Planalto Palace on January 8, but acknowledged that the available personnel were insufficient to guarantee security. of the building. He was summoned to speak to the deputies of the Public Security Commission this Wednesday (24).

Amaro dos Santos stated that the images from the security cameras inside the building – which showed former minister Gonçalves Dias and some employees talking to demonstrators – were confidential due to the investigation to investigate the acts of January 8, but that they were handed over to law enforcement authorities upon request. He was not in charge of the GSI at the time of the acts of vandalism.

The GSI minister stressed that the acts of January 8 should not be repeated, and stated that he does not see “how reasonable it is to treat G Dias’ actions as connivance. We do not now have the means to indicate responsibilities, the STF, the CPI will determine the responsibilities”.

According to the general, the images did not seem to indicate any kind of “facilitation”. For him, there was a great effort to contain the invasion. Despite this, he admitted that security was taken aback by the speed with which people entered the building, as well as the large number of protesters.

Meeting before January 8

Amaro dos Santos also stated that the GSI did not receive an invitation to participate in the meeting held by the Public Security Secretariat of the Federal District, on January 6, to discuss the security strategy for the demonstrations in Brasília.

Still according to the general, the Federal Supreme Court, the National Congress and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Palacio do Itamaraty) were warned to surround the buildings, to avoid a possible approximation of the demonstrators, but this letter did not reach the Plateau.

“The information was not enough for adequate planning”, he justified. According to them, people entered through the sides of the building, breaking glass, which turned into doors.

Deputy Paulo Bilynskyj (PL-SP), who asked for the GSI minister to be summoned, contested General Amaro dos Santos’ assertions about the difficulties in planning security actions, and also about the architectural issue, which could “hinder” the installation of railings, for example. The military reported that, after the invasion, one of the measures was to shield the glass on the ground floor of the Planalto Palace.

“The palace was built 63 years ago, couldn’t you plan the change?”, questioned the parliamentarian. The general said that changes can occur from events such as the recent invasion, and recalled that the construction of the water mirror, in front of the Planalto, took place after a citizen entered the place with a bus, in 1989.

The GSI minister also added that other measures to reinforce security are being analyzed, such as the installation of more cameras in the palaces of Planalto, Jaburu and Alvorada, in addition to strengthening security itself.

Still on January 8, Amaro said that on Sunday morning (8) there was a reinforcement platoon with 38 men on standby, in addition to troops stationed in barracks that could be deployed throughout the day, which occurred later. According to the general, at the end of the day, with the Planalto already retaken and the protesters contained, security had 408 men, not to mention the Shock Battalion of the Military Police of the Federal District. “At first, what we had was an orange risk assessment, that just one platoon would be enough”, said Amaro dos Santos. “This evaluation depended on information, on intentions, and it evolved very quickly, with the arrival of many buses in Brasília on the eve of the demonstrations”.

Lula’s Security and the Armed Forces

Asked about the departure of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) from the Institutional Security Cabinet, the minister informed that this was a decision already discussed during the transition of the Lula government. According to him, the important thing is that the GSI continues to rely on the agency’s information”.

During the summons, deputies also questioned the head of the GSI about the change in Lula’s personal security, currently in charge of the Federal Police. The general informed that security during the campaign was the responsibility of the PF, and Lula decided to keep it that way until the next June 30th.

The performance of the Armed Forces was also the target of criticism during the general’s summons, which has already been happening in other meetings in the Chamber of Deputies, such as last week, when the commanders were at the Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense, and were questioned for the “performance” after the result of the 2022 elections.

At the Public Security Commission, opposition deputies once again said that the population was disappointed with the Forces, and criticized that generals salute the current president. Amaro dos Santos highlighted that the President of the Republic is the head of the Armed Forces and stressed: “it is in the Constitution”.

National guard

On the possibility of creating a National Guard, aired by the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, in a hearing in the Chamber itself, deputy Pedro Haiara (Patriota – MG) said that the idea is “outlandish” and questioned the GSI minister. For the general, this debate will have to go through the National Congress, since it requires legal adequacy.

The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, defended the creation of a permanent National Guard, after the January 8 demonstrations. The change would have to be made via a Proposal for a Constitutional Amendment (PEC), and it encounters resistance within the government itself, and especially among the military.