Rio de Janeiro’s new governor, Wilson Witzel, is facing criticism after tweeting a video from a helicopter while observing a police operation in which shots were reportedly fired by the forces.
According to one local councillor, police snipers were onboard the helicopter during the mission over drug-gang controlled areas in the seaside town of Angra dos Reis, around 200km from Rio.
Rio’s O Globo reported that nobody was arrested and no drugs were seized. But a spokesman for Witzel could not confirm whether the governor was onboard the helicopter at the actual time the shots were fired.
“I do not know whether to commemorate or ridicule, but our exhibitionist, macho governor did not shoot or imprison anyone in the helicopter operation he publicised. It was just for show,” tweeted Luciana Boiteux, an associate professor of penal law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro who stood as a leftist candidate for congress.
The video Witzel posted featured himself, police chiefs and Angra’s mayor, Fernando Jordão, during the operation. “I am this moment flying over one of the most dangerous areas of Angra dos Reis, where we began an operation,” he tweeted.
Thimoteo de Sá, a retired police lieutenant and councillor from Angra dos Reis who heads its security commission, met Witzel before the flight and welcomed the operation to fight the growing power of drug gangs who threaten the city’s tourism.
A British tourist was shot and wounded near Angra in 2017 and a nuclear convoy came under fire in the area in March.
Witzel is a former judge who is strongly allied to the far-right Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, and vowed to give police powers to “slaughter” gun-toting bandits during his campaign. Since he took office in January, shots fired from police helicopters during operations have become more frequent, sparking fears he has already introduced his “shoot to kill” policy after police killings reached a record high.
During his campaign Witzel promised he would only attend public hospitals, but last week he was briefly seen at a private hospital in Rio.
Paulo Pinheiro, a councillor from the Socialism and Liberty party, used this to attack the governor over the operation. “You would have shown more courage if you had faced a public hospital,” he tweeted.