Brazilian protests intensify; Bolsonaro stays silent

RIO DE JANEIRO — For more than three weeks, supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have blocked roads and camped outside military buildings across the

nation. They refuse to accept his narrow defeat in October’s election and are pleading for intervention from the armed forces or marching orders from their commander in chief. The protests have gotten increasingly tense in a handful of states, such as Mato Grosso and Santa Catarina, where authorities have described tactics akin to terrorism. Bolsonaro has dropped out of public view, and has not disavowed the recent emergence of violence.

Since his election loss, Bolsonaro has only addressed the nation twice, to say that the protests are legitimate and encourage

them to continue, as long as they don’t prevent people from coming and going.