The organization of acts in support of Lula (PT) next Sunday (18) faced changes of location, caused division among militants and became a reason for fear of a clash with Bolsonaro supporters.
One of the main demonstrations called, initially scheduled for Vale do Anhangabaú, was transferred to Largo da Batata and then cancelled. The decision generated outrage among activists and motivated efforts to maintain the act.
On the networks, the PT of São Paulo and movements such as UNE (National Union of Students) call on supporters for events on the outskirts of the capital of São Paulo: in Grajaú (southern zone), in Vila Nova Cachoeirinha (northern zone) and in Itaquera (eastern zone).
A survey by Folha shows that, on Sunday, events are also planned at Praça Marechal Deodoro (central region of the city) and Largo da Banana, in Barra Funda (west zone).
The president of PT São Paulo, federal deputy Kiko Celeguim, said that carrying out decentralized acts aims to optimize mobilization capacity.
"What we need is for this activist to get involved in actions in their own territory to convince voters not to abstain on voting day, to convince, to change their vote, be it at a street market, at a mass, at a service, at an event in their own region", he stated.
Celeguim also said that the strategy had been agreed since the first day of the second round and that the PT only instructed the militants, this weekend, to take advantage of the opportunity to talk to people in their own territories.
"This event called for Largo da Batata, in Faria Lima, is not an initiative by the PT or the campaign, it is a spontaneous act by some comrades. And there is no problem on our part for this to happen", he says. "Quite the contrary, we are all aiming for the same goal, which is to elect President Lula."
The Movimento Revoluciona Brasil, which has been calling for pro-Lula events across the country and publicized this one from Largo da Batata, reported the cancellation on the networks, citing "issues related to the safety of participants and bureaucratic obstacles that would compromise the organization and proper carrying out of the act".
The change of location would have occurred due to fear of possible clashes between supporters of the PT member and senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL).
Flávio has a demonstration scheduled for Sunday on Avenida Paulista. As one of the accesses to the site is via Metro Line 4-Yellow, which also gives access to Largo da Batata, there was fear that the groups would meet and become involved in conflicts.
But there was already a mobilization around this act, says a militant involved in the president's campaign and member of left-wing groups. She says that, despite not opposing and finding the demonstrations on the periphery important, she was upset with decentralization.
In this situation, the leader of the Fortes movement, Isadora Brizola, who was a candidate for state deputy for the PDT, took the lead in the mobilization and organized to maintain the event in Largo da Batata.
"This was already reverberating in many places, there was no way to stop it," Brizola told Folha. According to her, the aim of taking the lead is to try to organize the act, make it peaceful and have control over the situation.
She also stated that she contacted the Pinheiros Subprefecture and the Military Police to ensure the safety and regularity of the act in the region.
In a statement, the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat stated that the Military Police are planning a special operation to guarantee order next Sunday and mentions both the Paulista and Largo da Batata acts.
According to the ministry, two meetings were held with representatives from Metrô, CET, GCM, Subprefectures, Civil and Military Police Ombudsman's Offices and leaders of organizing groups to establish consensus standards, times for each event and estimated number of participants.
