Come to the 'war cry party:' How social media helped drive mayhem in Brazil – The Washington Post

In the weeks leading up to Sunday’s violent attacks on Brazil’s congress,, and other government buildings, the country’s social media channels surged with calls to attack gas stations, refineries, and other infrastructure, as well as for people to come to a “war cry party in the capital,” according to Brazilian social media researchers.Online influencers who deny the results of the country’s recent presidential election used a particular phrasing to summon “patriots” to what they called a “Festa da Selma” — tweaking the word “selva,” a military term for war cry, by substituting an “m” for the “v” in hopes of avoiding detection from Brazilian authorities, who have wide latitude to arrest people for “anti-democratic” postings online. “Festa” is the Portuguese word for “party.”Organizers on Telegram posted dates, times, and routes for so-called “Liberty Caravans” that would pick people up in at least six Brazilian states and ferry them to the party, according to posts viewed by The Washington Post. One post said, “Attention Patriots! We are organizing for a thousand buses. We need 2 million people in Brasilia.”That online activism culminated in busloads of people landing in the capital on Sunday, where they stormed and vandalized three major government buildings
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