Misleading: It is misleading that the pre-candidate for the Planalto in 2022 and former president of the Republic Lula (PT) was expelled from the city of Niterói (RJ) during the PCdoB’s 100th anniversary event after a demonstration by a conservative group. Lula was present in the municipality and the protest actually took place, but there were no major clashes and the former president followed the agenda as scheduled.
Investigated Content: Video published on the channel Inform News duty YouTube channel says that Lula was expelled from the Red Festival, held in the city of Niterói (RJ), on March 26. The content narrator attributes the information to the Terra Brasil Notícias portal.
where it was published: YouTube and Terra Brasil Notícias portal.
Completion of Proof: It is misleading that former president Lula was expelled from the city of Niterói (RJ) during the Red Festival, an event that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the PCdoB. Video published on YouTube, based on a text from the Terra Brasil Notícias portal, states that the population “put the PT to run”, in reference to a demonstration called by conservative groups. According to publications in the local press, however, the protest was attended by few people and there were no records of clashes. Furthermore, in the coverage of the festival, there is no mention of the allegation that PT had been “expelled” from the city.
In the national press there are also no references to the alleged expulsion. Portals such as G1, UOL, O Globo, among others, reflected the former president’s participation in the event and the speeches during his speech. Also according to press information, after the event, Lula continued with his scheduled schedule for Rio de Janeiro normally.
Sought, the former president’s advisory denied that Lula had been expelled from Niterói and stated that activities in the city were carried out as planned. According to the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro, there were no records of serious conflicts.
Misleading, for Comprova, is content taken from the original context and used in another so that its meaning is altered; that uses inaccurate data or that leads to an interpretation different from the author’s intention. Or else the content that confuses, with or without the deliberate intention to cause harm.
Scope of publication: As of April 11, 2022, the video has had over 115,000 views on YouTube. According to data collected by the CrowdTangle tool, the Terra Brasil Notícias publication was shared in several Facebook groups and accumulated 1,800 interactions on the platform.
What the author of the publication says: Wanted, the author of the video published on YouTube stated that the content is based on a news portal and that, in the face of Comprova’s investigation, he would withdraw the publication from the air. The video was in fact unavailable for a day, but it is on the air again as “unlisted”, that is, it does not appear in the search results on the platform and can only be accessed through the direct link.
To Comprova, Terra Brasil Notícias reported that it based the article about Lula in Niterói on information provided by one of the organizers of the Red Festival and by councilor Douglas Gomes (PL).
How do we check: The first step was to check if Lula really was in Niterói on March 26 this year and the reason for the visit. For this, Comprova used reports from the websites G1, PT, Extra Globo, Em Foco, Brasil de Fato, A Tribuna, O Globo and Uol Notícias, which confirmed the presence of the former president at the event celebrating 100 years of PCdoB, held in the city.
The materials also showed that, on the day of the event, there was a protest against Lula going to the municipality, organized by councilor Douglas Gomes.
Finally, Comprova contacted the person responsible for publishing the content on YouTube, the Terra Brasil Notícias portal and Councilor Douglas Gomes. The team requested clarification on the episode from the Niterói City Hall, the Military and Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro and the advice of former President Lula. The 76th Niterói Police Station was also contacted, but did not return until the publication of this check.
Verification
Former President Lula participates in an event in Niterói
On March 26, 2022, the “Red Festival – PCdoB: 100 years of struggle alongside the Brazilian people” celebrated the centenary of the party’s foundation. Conceived by the Maurício Grabois Foundation (FMG), the political act was held at Praça do Povo, in Niterói (RJ). The program included book launches, concerts, fairs, debates and the participation of former president Lula and other political leaders in the country.
Following the event’s schedule, Lula was the last to speak on stage, after other politicians from leftist parties. At around 6:10 pm he began his speech, which lasted 48 minutes, according to an article by Portal UOL.
The PT member recalled his political trajectory, especially his connection with the PCdoB. Still in the act, he made a series of criticisms of names that stand as pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic in the October this year election, including President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), in addition to former judge Sergio Moro.
Lula had an agenda in Rio de Janeiro until March 30, when he participated in the event “International Meeting of Democracy and Freedom” at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj).
The former president’s adviser denied that Lula was expelled from Niterói and said that the activities planned in the city were carried out normally.
To Comprova, the city of Niterói informed, through Niterói Transporte e Trânsito (Nittrans), that it carried out traffic planning around the Niemeyer Path on the day of the event. But he stated that records of people being run over or fighting in the city are the responsibility of the Military Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro (see the PM’s response below).
The city hall also added that, as it is a private event, information on the number of participants is only passed on by the Festival’s organization.
“Shy Manifestation”
The acts that took place in Niterói were also reported by the local press, such as the website A Tribuna. According to the portal, led by councilor Douglas Gomes, supporters of President Bolsonaro and other right-wing parties split into two groups to protest Lula’s visit to Niterói. While a “timid” demonstration took place in front of the Red Festival entrance, the rest of the demonstrators gathered on Avenida Visconde do Rio Branco.
Even as reported by the local press, even before Lula started his speech, he was booed and harassed by protesters, who recalled the former president’s conviction in court, as well as his arrest in 2018.
Despite the report on the website A Tribuna reporting a confusion involving the former councilor for Psol Leonel Brizola Neto, which would have resulted in a being run over, the act had no other incidents. The episode was also reported by O Globo, which stated that Brizola Neto, now affiliated with the PT, had her car hit by sticks, boulders and eggs.
According to the report, when trying to cross the demonstration, the former councilor would have run over the foot of a woman who was protesting against Lula, which is why he was taken to the 76th Police Station, where a police report was registered.
The news, both in local vehicles and in the national news, do not make any mention of a more critical situation or more intense protests that had led the former president to leave the event ahead of schedule or even to have been “expelled” from the act. by protesters.
During the act against the former president, councilor Douglas Gomes, responsible for organizing the mobilization, made publications on social networks alleging that Nittrans and the PM would be preventing the group from arriving at the PCdoB event to protest against Lula. The parliamentarian also shared videos of the moment when Brizola Neto is stopped by the police and of the former councilor at the police station.
When contacted, the Military Police (PM) of Rio de Janeiro clarified that it followed the protest through the 12th Military Police Battalion (BPM) and that, at a certain moment, there was an argument between a parliamentarian and one of the officers. The matter, however, was resolved on the spot.
Regarding the possible being run over, the PM stated that the incident “must have been recorded by those involved directly at the police station”. The 76th DP was contacted, but did not return until the completion of this verification. Comprova also contacted Douglas Gomes, who did not respond to questions.
why do we investigate: Comprova investigates content suspected of spreading disinformation about the covid-19 pandemic, public policies of the federal government and elections. The focus is publications that go viral on social networks. Content that contains false information about presidential candidates can influence the process of choosing candidates. This type of practice is harmful to democracy and pollutes the debate around elections.
Other checks on the topic: Last year, Agência Lupa found similar content about former President Lula being expelled from cities in Bahia and Pernambuco. In recent checks, Comprova confirmed that Lula’s debt with the Union is real, but is questioned in court after the annulment of Lava Jato processes and that the presidential candidate had a speech taken out of context to suggest a racist statement.
Investigated by Plural Curitiba, CBN Cuiabá and Metrópoles. Checked by Band News FM, Nexo, CNN Brasil, A Gazeta, imirante.com, Estadão, SBT, SBT News, O Dia and Poder 360.
Source: CNN Brasil
