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This article is more than 2 years old

Brazil’s president has ordered 200 troops to the south-eastern state of Espírito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders.

The law enforcement stoppage in a state struggling with a budget shortfall is the latest example of how depleted public finances, amid Brazil’s worst recession on record, are crippling even basic health services, education and security in some states.

The crime surge in Espírito Santo, a small coastal state just north of Rio de Janeiro, began over the weekend, after police on Friday stopped work because of the pay dispute.

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Since then, local media and citizens with cellphone videos have broadcast scenes of chaos as thieves and other criminals appear to run rampant, particularly in state capital Vitoria and its suburbs, home to about two million people.

Local media reported that as many as 50 people have died during the period, an unusually high death toll for the state in such a short period. But a state security spokesman said the government has not been able to make an official tally.

Schools in the area closed, as did public health clinics and other local offices. State officials, who argue they have no resources to raise wages, have already replaced the police commander and say they will not renew negotiations with officers until they return to work.

“There is no way we can accept this attitude, leaving the population deprived of an essential service like public security,” Cesar Colnago, the state’s governor, told reporters after announcing the federal aid.

President Michel Temer, who also authorized the use of federal troops to quell uprisings in prisons last month that led to around 140 deaths in various states, dispatched the country’s defense minister to Espírito Santo on Monday.

The state security spokesman said federal troops were expected to arrive by Tuesday.

Several other Brazilian states are grappling with a financial crisis. In Rio de Janeiro, the state government has been struggling to pay expenses including salaries of police, teachers and doctors and basic supplies for schools and hospitals.

</s>RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil’s president on Monday ordered 200 troops to the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders.

A woman walks past by the entrance of an appliance store damaged after gang attacks in Vitoria, Espirito Santo state, Brazil February 6, 2017. REUTERS/Gabriel Lordello

The law enforcement stoppage in a state struggling with a budget shortfall is the latest example of how depleted public finances, amid Brazil’s worst recession on record, are crippling even basic health services, education and security in some states.

The crime surge in Espirito Santo, a small coastal state just north of Rio de Janeiro, began over the weekend, after police on Friday stopped work because of the pay dispute.

Since then, local media and citizens with cell phone videos have broadcast scenes of chaos as thieves and other criminals appear to run rampant, particularly in state capital Vitoria and its suburbs, home to about 2 million people.

Local media reported that as many as 50 people have died during the period, an unusually high death toll for the state in such a short period. But a state security spokesman said the government has not been able to make an official tally.

Schools in the area closed, as did public health clinics and other local offices. State officials, who argue they have no resources to raise wages, have already replaced the police commander and say they will not renew negotiations with officers until they return to work.

“There is no way we can accept this attitude, leaving the population deprived of an essential service like public security,” Cesar Colnago, the state’s governor, told reporters after announcing the federal aid.

President Michel Temer, who also authorized the use of federal troops to quell uprisings in prisons last month that led to around 140 deaths in various states, dispatched the country’s defense minister to Espirito Santo on Monday.

The state security spokesman said federal troops were expected to arrive by Tuesday.

Several other Brazilian states are grappling with a financial crisis. In Rio de Janeiro, the state government has been struggling to pay expenses including salaries of police, teachers and doctors and basic supplies for schools and hospitals.</s>The southeastern Brazilian state of Espirito Santo has been plagued by violence since police went on strike there.Since Friday, family members of the police officers have been staging protests in front of eleven police battalions in more than 30 cities, "barricading" the exits and preventing officers from performing their duties.The lack of police on the streets has resulted in a criminal rampage, with 62 people being killed according to the Union of Civilian Police in Espirito Santo.With a rapidly deteriorating situation, local authorities requested help from the federal government. On Monday, Brazilian President Michel Temer authorized the deployment of 200 National Force members to Espirito Santo which have since been patrolling the streets.According to the Union, the number of deaths jumped 1,000 percent compared to January, when only four deaths were recorded for the entire month.The scope of crime has significantly surpassed the capacity of the morgue in the state's capital city, Vitoria, with 16 bodies lying on the floor, Folha de S. Paulo reported on Monday.There has also been a sharp spike in looting. At least six malls were closed for fears they could be plundered. At least two buses were set alight, and many drivers preferred to stay indoors like other residents."The biggest problem is uncertainty, we do not know how long it will last, even to pay bills is tricky as the Banks are closing," Leonardo Regiani, a local dentist told Folha de S.Paulo, adding that out of eight out of twelve patients had canceled their appointments.The authorities have decided to suspend school services, shut municipal parks, and all public health facilities in Vitoria as a result of the industrial action, UOL reported On Monday, Espírito Santo Court of Justice declared the protests illegal, citing the "express prohibition for the military to exercise the right to strike."If the officers do not comply with the ruling, the police associations to which they belong will have to pay a fine of R$ 100,000 (US $32,080). This ruling has been disputed by members of the associations, who claim the strike action was organized and led solely by women. However, on Monday, only a few policemen complied with the order and left the barracks to work on foot, the Globo reports.Defense minister Raul Jungmann, who arrived in Vitoria on Monday said, "the military is already on the streets, and between now and tomorrow we will have an effective force compatible with the state's needs".</s>RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil's president on Monday ordered 200 troops to the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders.</s>Brazilian President Michel Temer named the incumbent Justice Minister as his candidate to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court (STF), after Justice Teori Zavascki was killed in a plane crash last month, the media reported. The announcement was made by presidential spokesperson, Alexandre Parola, on Monday who said that “the solid academic and professional credentials of Minister Alexandre de Moraes qualify him for the high responsibilities of the role of minister on Brazil’s Supreme Court,” Xinhua news agency reported.

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The nomination will be submitted to confirmation hearings by the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Commission. If approved, his confirmation will then be voted on by the Senate. De Moraes, 49, is a member of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) that supports Temer’s government and former secretary of Public Security of the state of Sao Paulo.

Initial reactions from the opposition were negative, who questioned de Moraes’ objectivity as a member of the PSDB and a close ally of Temer. The Senate leader of the Workers’ Party (PT), Humberto Costa, said that the nomination “is bad for the country” and “attends to political interests”.

However, the newly-elected Senate President Eunicio Oliveira told the local O Globo daily that he wanted de Moraes to be confirmed as soon as possible. The Brazilian legislation allows Supreme Court Justices to remain in post until the age of 75, when they have to retire. The STF is filled by 11 justices, who all have the rank of minister.</s>A Brazilian city's murder rate has soared by 650 per cent with 52 homicides in just three days after police officers went on strike.

Military troops had to be deployed in the state of Espírito Santo after looting, rape and murders broke out on Saturday amid the industrial action.

The chaos has been compared to the 2014 thriller film The Purge, where people take advantage of the absence of law and order to carry out horrific crimes.

With officers staging a walk-out over conditions and wages, thugs are running riot, with people running rampant with guns and machetes, shops being robbed, buses set on fire and dead bodies are left lying in the street.

Protests by friends and family of military police officers in the coastal state ignited the crime wave and forced the shutdown of state services such as health centres and schools.

According to latest figures, there were 802 recorded murders in the state capital of Victoria in 2015.

This equates to just more than two a day.

In the last three days, since the strikes began, there have been 52 reported homicides, according to Plus 55.

The unprecedented surge in violence dwarfs the figures of the entire state, which has a population of 3.9million.

In 2012, the latest available figures, there were just over five reported homicides a day state-wide.

Since the strikes, the figure in Victoria alone is more than 17.

At the request of the state government, federal troops began arriving Monday night to help patrol the streets.

The protests calling for higher pay began this weekend outside military police barracks across the small, coastal state and have prevented vehicles from leaving.

That has left the military police virtually unable to patrol, though a few foot patrols began Monday, the Department of Public Security said.

Harrowing scenes were reported from all around the state, and one resident told Political Outsource: 'The thugs are randomly shooting at anyone who passes the street in Espírito Santo. My God what is happening.'

Schools have been closed and even football matches cancelled in the affected areas due to the lack of security, which has meant many people are refusing to even venture outdoors.

'I won't even leave my house today,' one Brazilian resident in Espirato Santo told Political Outsource.

'Things are absolutely crazy, there are people running around with guns in pretty populated areas, dozens of people stealing from malls, even dead bodies on streets.'

In the state capital of Vitoria, store windows were smashed and metal shutters used to protect shops peeled away as looters took advantage of the vacuum in law enforcement.

Civil police used force to stop some thieves, shooting at least one man in the leg.

Defense Minister Raul Jungmann traveled to the state Monday evening and 150 soldiers were already on duty.

In all, 1,000 members of the armed forces and 200 members of the national guard were being sent to reinforce police.

The commander of the military police in the state has also been replaced.

The protests come as Brazil grapples with a deep, protracted recession and many states struggle financially.

In Rio de Janeiro state, where the government is desperately trying to plug a huge deficit, public servants have repeatedly protested over late pay, sometimes clashing violently with police.

The protests in Espirito Santo have 'paralyzed the military police service, not just in the capital but also in the entire state,' the state's head of public security, Andre Garcia, told reporters.

He said there had been a marked increase in crime since the protests began.

Later, he told the defense minister that there had been 37 homicides from Sunday to Monday, though that figure has since climbed to 52, according to local media.

'Movements of this nature, they hold society hostage,' Garcia said.

Because of security concerns, officials in Vitoria suspended most services Monday, though emergency services were being maintained with help from the municipal security force.

The closure of health services meant there could be no vaccinations for yellow fever in the city, even as Brazil experiences its worst outbreak of the disease since 2000.

Espirito Santo has seen 14 confirmed cases in the current outbreak, and dozens more are under investigation.

A court ordered the protesters to end their blockade, but the demonstrations outside barracks continued.

Because of their crucial role, members of the military police are not allowed to engage in strikes.

But Garcia, the head of public security, implied that officers were behind the movement, which he called 'supposedly spontaneous.'

Major Rogerio Fernandes Lima, a union representative, denied to reporters that military police had organized the protests but said the officers supported the goals, namely higher pay.

He said officers in the state are among the worst paid in Brazil.

The defence ministry said soldiers were being sent in 'due to the serious public safety situation'.

Police officers have been blockading police stations in protest against unpaid salaries since Saturday.

The acting governor of Espirito Santo state, Cesar Colnago, had earlier begged President Michel Temer 'to send the National Force and the army to safeguard the security of citizens'.

State security chief Andre Garcia said the police chief had been replaced and the new commander had been tasked with 'restoring order and discipline'.

Talks are to take place with the disgruntled officers but they have been told they have to go back to work first.

Vitoria and its suburbs have a population of 1.8 million people, while a total of 3.9 million live in Espirito Santo state.

State Secretary of Public Security André Garcia told Globo: 'The first step taken by the government to overthrow this movement was the filing of a lawsuit requiring the illegality of the movement to be enacted.

'Our intention is to negotiate, always, but this negotiation must be based on mutual respect, and the condition for the police come to patrol the streets and answer the calls of the Capixabas citizens.'

The government has threatened to file a lawsuit against the force, claiming the strike is illegal.</s>Brazilian interim President Michel Temer said on Monday he plans to nominate technocrats to the top positions in state-controlled firms and pension funds, once the lower house approves a draft proposal requiring high-ranking public employees to have high technical qualifications.

For decades, government named political appointees to some of the most important positions at state companies in Brazil. Temer said that, until the lower house passes the bill, all nominations in those entities have been stopped.</s>Slaughter on the streets: Brazilian city sees its murder rate go up 650% after police go on strike, with 52 murders in just THREE DAYS across lawless region A Brazilian city's murder rate has soared by 650 per cent with 52 homicides in just three days after police officers went on strike. Military troops had to be deployed in the state of Espirito Santo after looting, rape and murders broke out on Saturday amid the industrial action.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Daily Mail.</s>Brazil's president on Monday ordered 200 troops to the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders. A woman walks past by the entrance of an appliance store damaged after gang attacks in Vitoria, Espirito Santo state, Brazil February 6, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com.</s>Brazil's interim President Michel Temer said on Wednesday that his government will not cut spending on health and education, although sacrifices are needed to balance public accounts and restore economic growth.

"There is no longer any room in Brazil for a bloated and inefficient state," Temer said in a speech in which he criticized the state of the country he inherited from suspended President Dilma Rousseff three weeks ago, with 11 million unemployed and a massive budget deficit. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Brazilian President Michel Temer deploys the Brazilian Army to the southeastern state of Espírito Santo, where a police strike has led to a wave of violence and looting, including dozens of murders in the state capital, Vitória.