What the presidential candidates say about the US classification of CV and PCC

The United States government announced this Wednesday (28) that it will classify the Brazilian factions PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) and CV (Comando Vermelho) as terrorist organizations. The measure comes into force on June 5th.

After the North American government's decision, the main pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic took to social media to express their views on the matter. To date, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Itamaraty have not officially taken a position on the decision. Government interlocutors recognize the difficulty of reacting publicly without appearing to be defending criminal factions. In this sense, the government's discourse must be around the defense of national sovereignty.

First to speak out, the senator and presidential pre-candidate for the PL, Flávio Bolsonaro (RJ), shared the announcement by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, about the classification on social media, and commented "Great day".

The senator also shared a video declaring that he did more for Brazil than the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in relation to the fight against organized crime and that his trip to the United States this week was to "work" for the measure.

Romeu Zema (Novo), former governor of Minas Gerais, said that he recognizes the "work" he attributed to Flávio and said that national sovereignty is not threatened. He also criticized President Lula's administration for, according to him, "never doing anything" against organized crime.

"Those who threaten our sovereignty are exactly the PCC and the Red Command. They dominate territories within Brazil. There, they are the ones in charge, not the government. Our sovereignty is not threatened, it is stolen. And Lula never did anything about it. On the contrary, he just passes things off to criminals", he said. "The collaboration [from the USA] is very welcome and Flávio was able to do what Lula should have done a long time ago", he continued.

For CNN, former governor Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) said that the classification of factions as terrorist organizations by the United States is "demoralizing" for Lula. For Caiado, who has public security as one of his main political themes, the new classification is a success. He said that, if he were already president, he would have taken the action himself.

"It's the missing certificate to confirm that Lula has always protected them. The world and Brazilians recognize them as terrorists and Lula classifies them as victims of users. Demoralizing for Lula. It's done", he declared.

Performance of candidates in the polls
According to a survey by the Datafolha Institute released last week, President Lula has 47% of voting intentions against 43% for Flávio in a possible second round in the dispute for Planalto.

The survey also evaluated possible clashes between Lula against Zema and Caiado, respectively. In a possible dispute against the former governors, the PT member has 48% of voting intentions against 39% of the two pre-candidates.

US Classification of CCP and CV
The United States Department of State announced on Thursday that it has classified the CCP and PV as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists."

The statement, signed by Secretary Marco Rubio, also states that the US intends to designate the two criminal groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations as of June 5.

"The CV and the PCC are two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil. Together, they command thousands of members and orchestrated brutal attacks against police officers, public authorities and Brazilian civilians", highlights the text.

Also according to the statement, the Trump administration will use all available tools to keep illicit drugs out of North American territory and stop the flow of resources that finance "violent narco-terrorists."

"The action taken today by the Department of State further demonstrates the Trump administration's unwavering commitment to dismantling cartels and criminal organizations in our region and ensuring the safety of the American people," the announcement concluded.

PCC and CV: Lula government talks about Bolsonaro action against Brazil | CNN PRIME TIME

Source: CNN