A doorman was handcuffed and taken to the Police Station during a riot against presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), on Friday night (16), on Avenida Senador Rui Palmeira, in the Ponta Verde neighborhood, in Maceió.
According to witnesses, the Military Police were called by a man who drove by the scene, threatened the protesters and tried to provoke a fight. Residents denounce brutality in the police approach.
The case happened when doorman Edmilson participated in the protest alongside residents of a condominium. After the police arrived, he was handcuffed and taken to the police station on suspicion of disturbing the peace. The worker signed a Detailed Occurrence Term (TCO) and was released.
The paneling was carried out as a form of protest during Flávio Bolsonaro's interview with Jornal Nacional, on TV Globo, conducted by journalist Renata Lo Prete, in Rio de Janeiro. The candidate is contesting the second round of elections against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), scheduled for October 25th.
g1 contacted the Alagoas Military Police to request clarification on the approach, but did not receive a response until the publication of this report.
Social worker Filipe Leonardo Barros Farias, 38, told g1 that he was in front of the building where he lives, holding a flag and banging pots, when Edmilson joined him. Other residents also participated in the demonstration, at the entrance to the condominium and at the windows of the apartments.
According to Filipe, a man who was passing by in a car started swearing at the protesters, made obscene gestures and threatened to attack them. The driver allegedly stopped the vehicle, got out and called the social worker to fight, but he refused to leave the condominium.
"He started cursing everyone, threatening, saying that people had to die, being ashamed. When he stopped in front of my building, where I was waving the flag, he started insulting me, using homophobic insults and death threats", he reported.
Still according to Filipe, the driver himself called the Military Police after the argument. The social worker registered a police report against the man, reporting the threats and offenses.
Filipe stated that two military police officers arrived at the condominium and demanded that the gate be opened. According to him, the agents ordered the potluck to be interrupted and approached Edmilson, who was working at the entrance.
"He [Edmilson] was saying very calmly: 'I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm in my workspace'. They entered the guardhouse and one of the police officers said to the commander: 'Commander, I'm going to handcuff you'", he said.
In a video recorded by residents, a military police officer explains that Edmilson would be taken away for disturbing the peace. According to the agent, the doorman had hit a pan against the wall during a warning given by the team.
Disturbing the peace is a criminal offense provided for in article 42 of the Criminal Misdemeanors Law. The legislation provides for a penalty of 15 days to three months of simple imprisonment or a fine for anyone who disturbs the work or rest of other people with shouting, noise or excessive noise.
In the recording, residents question why only Edmilson would be taken to the police station, as other people were also participating in the protest. The police officer responds that the act had been committed by the doorman and states that he was not being arrested, but presented to the police chief, who would decide how to record the incident.
Lawyer Mateus Gonzaga, responsible for the doorman's defense, stated that Edmilson took a long time to open the gate because he was away from the guardhouse when the police arrived. According to him, the worker was arrested for alleged contempt, but the incident was later registered as a disturbance of the peace at the Flagrantes Center.
"For me, what happened in Maceió is absurd. It is a violation, a curtailment of freedom of expression and the right to free expression of Mr. Edmilson, who was at his work post, joined so many other protesters and was led away by the Military Police," he declared.
The lawyer contests the approach and stated that he intends to evaluate the appropriate measures.
According to Filipe, residents accompanied the doorman to the police station and sought legal assistance for him. The condominium manager also contacted Edmilson to show solidarity.
