Brazil attack: influencers join online campaign to identify insurrectionists

High-profile digital influencers have joined pro-democracy politicians and Brazil’s law enforcement agencies in an attempt to identify insurrectionists who took part in Sunday’s attack on the Brazilian government.

Thousands of people stormed and ransacked the presidential palace, the congress building and the supreme court in support of former president Jair Bolsonaro and his pro-military, far-right movement.

More than 1,200 were arrested, but others fled before law enforcement arrived and campaigns are under way to identify as many people as possible and bring them to justice.

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, called the participants “vandals, neo-fascists and fanatics” and warned that they, and anyone who financed their trips to the capital, will feel “the feel force of the law” for their “irresponsible, anti-democratic, vandalism and fascist actions”.

The justice ministry, federal police and state prosecutors all set up email accounts where members of the public can send tips and by Tuesday morning they had received more than 30,000 emails, an official said.

The campaign to identify participants was boosted by help from indignant social media influencers. Within hours of the riots starting, Felipe Neto, one of Brazil’s best-known digital communicators, called on his 15.8 million followers to post him screenshots that show the faces of those involved.

More than 10 million people saw the tweet and more than 46,000 people responded, many of them with pictures and names and some even passing on details of friends and family.

“Brazil is going through one of the most critical moments in its history,” Neto told the Guardian. “What happens to those responsible for this terrorist act will serve as an example for our future.

“I am not an advocate of the punitive response as a model of social justice, but there are times when only a firm hand can prevent new threats against our democracy. Identifying those responsible and handing out exemplary punishment is essential in order to send a message to those who want to perpetrate new attacks in Brazil.”

Another Instagram account named “against the Brazil coup” has already surpassed 1 million followers. By Tuesday afternoon the @contragolpebrasil account, with the support of leftist deputy André Janones, had published 173 screenshots of alleged participants.

In an attempt to map the social media background to the riots, Lupa, one of Brazil’s top fact-checking organisations, encouraged people to fill in anonymous forms detailing “anti-democratic posts” made online or on messaging apps.

“This is a collaborative project that seeks to understand how the acts of vandalism this Sunday in Brasília were organised,” the group said, adding that more than 3,000 submissions had been made in the first 24 hours.

The task of tracking people down has been made easier by the thousands of videos and selfies taken by the insurrectionists themselves.

The hordes included what appeared to be a broad cross-section of those who drove Bolsonaro to power in 2018. A list of more than 270 detainees published on the Globo website included people from all over Brazil.

Those named include a vet, a barber, several city council members and police officers and a former participant in Big Brother Brasil.

The online judgement was brutal, with thousands of comments left on the @contragolpebrasil Instagram account.

Although most of the responses were abuse and jokes, some viewers identified neighbours, former teachers, friends of friends and other acquaintances.

Some shared information on how to find the alleged participants or where they work. Others tagged media outlets close to their homes or called the attention of employers or oversight bodies, such as the Bar Association.

The open source nature of the project has left ample room for mischief and worse. Anyone can put names to the pictures, opening the door to public recrimination and pile-ons – whether the identification is correct or not.

“The idea that the harassment from the state and people online reaffirms for many of these extremists that they are in fact living the kind of leftist dictatorship they’ve always warned about,” said Andre Pagliarini, historian of modern Brazil and non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

“On the other hand, public shaming of those involved can potentially serve as a deterrent. Except for the most deeply fanatical, maybe some Bolsonaro supporters who might otherwise have participated in future actions will think twice now given costs that include social derision and potential arrest.”

Although some skeptics fear a broader reckoning could stumble at the hurdle of Brazil’s slow and selective justice system, Neto expressed optimism that the new government will ensure justice is done.

“It’s absolutely crucial that the federal police get the time and resources they need to do their work, giving ample right to defence and following the due legal process to all those accused,” he said.

“We have to trust in our institutions. I am confident because without justice all we have left is barbarity.”