A group of protesters clashed with security guards from the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro on the afternoon of Wednesday (8), amid the vote on a bill that criminalizes the vaccine passport in Rio de Janeiro.
It all started when a group of protesters in favor of the project tried to enter the Alerj gallery. It turns out that the limit of 70 people established by the presidency had already been reached. Despite the refusal of the security guards, the protesters tried to break the blockade and there was confusion, pushing and shoving and bickering. In the images it is possible to see some people being pushed, grabbed and chased by security guards and others advancing against the cordon.
When the confusion started, the president of the Assembly, André Ceciliano (PT), said he would remove people from the gallery above the plenary. “Let’s be calm, if I continue I will stop the session. It is forbidden to stay in the gallery without a mask. I’ll activate the security and you will be removed”, he said into the microphone. He threatened to withdraw the project from the agenda, but that didn’t happen.
Ceciliano traveled to Brasília and Deputy Tia Ju (Republicans) assumed the presidency. She even interrupted the session again after a squabble between deputies in favor and against the bill. By four votes to three, the project had the green light from the Constitution and Justice Commission, but had an unfavorable opinion by the Health Commission.
At all times, people opposed to the vaccine passport and the vaccine itself booed and applauded the gallery’s discussions, even after the confusion. At the beginning of the evening, the plenary was emptied and there were only members of the Pocket Parliament in favor of the bill, which ended up receiving 57 amendments, which in this case function as a mechanism to make the vote difficult. Alerj’s communications department said that there is no scheduled date for him to return to the agenda.
A CNN found that, because the mess had not been injured or dilapidated public property, Alerj decided not to file a police report. In a statement, she stated that a group of protesters “was stopped by the security of the House because the maximum limit of occupation of the galleries established by the Fire Department had already been reached and many were without masks”. “The day before the vote on the project, the presidency of Alerj agreed with the authors that the vote could only be followed by the gallery if they respected the use of masks and the limit of people. The confusion was contained and the session continued with the discussion of the project by the deputies”, completes the statement.
The bill foresees that no one is prohibited from accessing any place, public or private, as a result of the choice not to be vaccinated and prohibits the requirement of proof of vaccination by public authorities or superiors in the private sector. The proposal includes a fine of R$2,964 to R$37,050 for those who demand a vaccine passport.
Reference: CNN Brasil
