July 11, 2022

15:07

Priscilla Peixoto – from Amazon Agency

MANAUS – The cases of violence that occurred in Brazil, in recent months, during the pre-election campaign period arouse a sense of insecurity and fear, both in voters, as well as those who are part of political parties. This reality was reinforced by another case of attack involving political differences on Saturday night in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, when the celebration of life ended in mourning after a Bolsonarist invaded a birthday party whose theme was the former president “Lula” and shot the birthday boy to death.

The municipal guard and one of the leaders of the PT in the city, Marcelo Arruda, was killed while celebrating his 50th birthday with his family. According to witnesses in an interview to Carta Capital, the party with 40 guests was interrupted by prison guard Jorge José da Rocha Guaranho, who attacked Marcelo shouting “it’s Bolsonaro you fucks… you bastards… it’s the myth”. The case shocked the country and raises several questions, among them, what leads admiration for someone to become a motivation for violent attitudes?

Through psychoanalysis, the psychologist specialized in human behavior Carolina Peixoto explains that there are cases understood as fanaticism and, sometimes, they are conducive to the spread of hatred. “What occurs is that the dogmas present within the Bolsonarist group legitimize gratuitous violence and manifestation of hate against what/who does not share the same idea, after all, by this logic, the opposite to me is my enemy and, therefore, must be annihilated to maintain peace and the internal order in force in the group”, she explains.

Fanaticism

According to the professional, fanaticism is understood as an external manifestation of something that could not be elaborated internally and, therefore, was unconsciously repressed and repressed, manifesting itself in aggressive behaviors and hate speeches. According to Carolina, fanatical behavior basically presents four characteristics, which are: dogmatism, the need to belong, dislike for what is different, and aggressiveness and lack of empathy with people outside their group.

“Dogmatism, for example, is the idea that there is only one truth and that this is absolute, that is, everything that is outside the dogma cannot be accepted. Thus, there is no possibility of relativizing the issues and divides the world between polarized ideas of good and evil, right and wrong, which characterize a psychological profile of individuals with certain intellectual limitations, in which the person cannot deal with complex considerations and prefers to adhere to simpler thinking, because that is what they can achieve”, highlights the professional.

The psychologist points out that in order to recognize themselves as belonging to a group, there are people who follow the ideologies as a “blind faith” and violently reject everything that is different from the group. “Thus, the person retains the feeling of security and belonging, demonstrating their discomfort with violence against any statement that contradicts their dogma/truth”, she points out.

‘Legitimizing hate’

In Carolina’s reading, actions like this are also results of the logic of gratuitous violence and supported by the policy of the Bolsonaro government itself. A reality possible and accepted by the leader of the group himself, who encourages manifestation of violence either through public policies or through his own discourse.

“Fanatical behavior flirts with delirium and places the fanatical individual in the place of a slave before the absolute master who can be a deity, a political leader, or even a supreme cause. In this way, as a member of a group, some people may rely on these premises of authorized violence and the anonymity of belonging to the group, reaching drastic actions like the one we have in the case in question”, says the professional who adds:

“It is worth remembering that these are first impressions. It is important to investigate whether this boy who invaded the party was in fact suffering from some psychological disorder that made him use the backdrop of the Bolsonarist group to express his anger and hatred. It is as if this justifies something that, internally, was not resolved”, he points out.

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Senseless Violence

In the reading of sociologist Luiz Antônio, the case makes explicit the cruelty that has mobilized, tortured and addicted generations. “We are facing evil in the most explicit sense that humanity can see. The same evil that mobilized thousands of military dictators in the Americas, who killed, raped and tortured multitudes. That is what is underway. I don’t see it as a disease, but as evil in the nth power, the same evil that makes men beat women, that makes adults beat children. The same that comes out of the mouths of neo-Pentecostal pastors in public and televised acts and that is incited by the President of the Republic himself who uses a ‘gun’ and says that he is going to eliminate others”, he analyzes.

The use of guns was one of the guidelines defended by the criminal policeman, who declared himself to be a Christian conservative in social networks. Since the beginning of the current government, several measures have been taken to relax and soften the requirements regarding access to firearms in Brazil, as well as the allowed number of guns and ammunition per person. “At the end of it all, there we have two dead people, two bereaved families because of the use of the ‘crap’ of a gun as a way to solve conflict”, laments the sociologist.

The same point is emphasized by Welligton Guimarães, a mental health specialist at Fiocruz. For him, the circulation of weapons also affects the indicators of violence. The specialist points out the danger of an emotionally unbalanced person having access to a firearm. “Look, many people need help and psychological counseling and don’t seek help. In the moment of conflict and emotion these people, because they have access to guns, end up committing an atrocity.”

The mental health specialist who is also focused on cases involving alcohol and illicit use explains that in situations of drug use, they alter feelings and emotions and are capable of potentiating personality deviation traits. “If the person has low tolerance, behavioral deviation, abusive drug use can turn that being into a time bomb that will explode in any corner for any reason”, explains the professional regarding the suspicion that the man who invaded the party might have been under the influence of drugs, according to witnesses.

Understanding the case

On Saturday night, September 9, the federal prison agent Jorge José da Rocha Guaranho invaded the 50th birthday party of the municipal guard Marcelo Arruda. After a first discussion, the man, who was considered unknown by the guests, left the place promising to come back and kill everyone. The episode occurred at the headquarters of the Itaipu Physical Health Sports Association (Aresfi), in Foz do Iguaçu, western Paraná.

When he noticed again the presence of the penal agent, who showed annoyance in relation to the theme of the party referring to former president Lula and shouted the name of the current president of the Republic, the municipal guard, who was also treasurer of the PT in the city, was shot at by the penal agent, who managed to shoot back.

Jorge Garanho was taken to the hospital and Marcelo Arruda died after the shooting. The weapons used by both Guaranho and Marcelo were collected and sent to forensics. The police will investigate the real motive of the crime, which, at first, is classified by the municipal secretary of public security of Foz do Iguaçu, Marcos Antonio Jahnke as “political intolerance”.

See video of the moment the shots were fired: