[7][8] [9] Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, who are frequently referred to in media accounts as Bolsonaristas, alleging election fraud, began blocking roads and highways in the country.

[30] The protests were motivated by the false belief that the 2022 Brazilian general election suffered from widespread electoral fraud causing Jair Bolsonaro's loss.

Another reason for the protests was dislike for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who had defeated Bolsonaro in the elections after his controversial convictions in Operation Car Wash had been annulled.

[32] A video published on 16 October was one of several attempts by Marcos Koury, a member of the military reserve, to incite a general strike of truckers before the second round of elections.

[33] Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro, including truck drivers, started blockades across the country on the night of 30 October, when the election results were announced.

[38] On the night of October 31, at 8:00 p.m., around 50 Bolsonaro supporters closed the two runways of the Hélio Smidt Highway, which provides access to Guarulhos International Airport, which caused delays and flight cancellations.

[39] In the early hours of November 1, protesters invaded the runway, a video captured a man wearing a Federal Highway Police uniform cutting the fence to allow Bolsonaro supporters to enter.

[42] On 1 November, members of the Gaviões da Fiel [pt], organized fans of Corinthians dispersed protesters that were interdicting the Marginal Tietê, the main highway in São Paulo, and unfurled a banner saying "We are for democracy".

The following day, more fans mobilized against the blockade on the Presidente Dutra Highway (BR-116), which connects São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, dispersing the demonstrators and removing signs and flags that called for federal intervention.

[5] Two days later, on November 3, Império Alviverde, organized team fans from the Coritiba Foot Ball Club, broke through blockades in the cities of Mafra and Papanduva, on the way back from Caxias do Sul to Curitiba, after departure.

[6] On 1 November, protesters threatened to burn alive students from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) on the grounds that they were supposedly supporters of president-elect Lula.

[48] On November 2, Ruan Carlos Rodrigues Porto, deputy commander of the Military Police (PM) in the city, was fired for refusing to comply with the unblocking order.

[50] During the standoff, police used pepper spray to disperse the population, the blockade had affected fuel supplies and the city council had cancelled classes and rubbish collection.

[58] On 2 November, in the blockade carried out on the SC-163 highway, in São Miguel do Oeste, Santa Catarina, the protesters held a solemn moment to celebrate the Brazilian National Anthem, during which they made gestures similar to the Nazi salute.

[17] The protests on the roads lost strength on 3 November,[75][76][77] But supporters of Jair Bolsonaro started concentrating in the vicinity of Brazilian Armed Forces facilities, such as Military barracks and Tiro de Guerra buildings, in acts and vigils against the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva since then.

[82] Bolsonaro supporters protesting in front of the Eastern Military Command (RJ) celebrated and cried after hearing that a "federal intervention" was decreed and that TSE's minister Alexandre de Moraes was "arrested for fraud in the electronic voting machines", this was later confirmed as being fake news.

The hoax was accompanied by a montage in which the singer appeared to participate in a videoconference with Jair Bolsonaro and claimed that Stefani Germanotta, which is Gaga's real name, was analyzing cases of electoral fraud in Brazil.

[90] A man carrying an explosive device (presumably fireworks) and a knife was arrested on 1 January 2023 while trying to enter the esplanade of Brasília, where government officials and Lula supporters were attending his inauguration.

[80] Demands for an investigation into possible funding for the blockades and demonstrations have grown, mainly due to the circulation of videos of organized stalls serving drinks and food, including barbecues.

[101][102] Businessmen from several states financed caravans to Brasília to reinforce the protests calling for a military intervention in front of the army's headquarters in the city, more than 70 trucks with the Brazilian flag arrived on November 6 and 7, entrepreneurs from the municipality of Água Boa, in Mato Grosso, organized a joint action by sending 23 trucks, twelve trucks bore the name of Agritex, a reseller of agricultural machinery, parts and equipment, another seven vehicles displayed the logo of Grupo Comelli, from Rio Verde, in Goiás, a company specialized in biomass processing, in all, vehicle license plates are from at least four states: Mato Grosso, Goiás, Bahia and Santa Catarina.

[106] On the same day, the Civil Police of Paraná sent a report denouncing a councilor and several former councillors, a municipal attorney, an advisor to a federal deputy and numerous businessmen in organizing and financing the protests.

[108] On 17 November, Minister Alexandre de Moraes decided to block 43 bank accounts of individuals and legal entities suspected of financing anti-democratic acts.

[109] The magistrate explained: In this case, there has been repeated abuse of the right to assemble, illicitly and criminally directed to propagate non-compliance and disrespect for the result of the election for President and Vice-President of the Republic, whose result was proclaimed by the Superior Electoral Court on 30/10/2022, with the consequent disruption of the Democratic State of Law and the installation of an exception regime.Initially, rumors circulated linking businessman Luciano Hang to the organization and financing of the demonstrations, mainly due to the preference of the protesters to carry out concentrations in front of chain stores Havan, the businessman denied contributing to the organization of the movement.

[111] The businessman and founder of the "Lux Institute", Emílio Dalçoquio Neto, has been pointed out by reports from the Federal Highway Police that were publicized by the media, as a leader of the blockades and organized acts in the state of Santa Catarina, also participating in national mobilization networks.

[117] The Supreme Federal Court (STF) ordered that the PRF immediately unblock the roads under penalty of R$100,000 per hour to General Director Silvinei Vasques [pt].

[126] Brazil's incoming president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has vowed to punish protesters who stormed into Congress, The Supreme Court, and the Presidential Palace.

[127] 45 hours after the end of the second round, Bolsonaro gave a brief speech, saying: "Peaceful demonstrations will always be welcome, but our methods cannot be those of the left, which have always harmed the population, such as invading property, destroying heritage, and curtailing the right to transit.

[129] The vice president, Hamilton Mourão, recognized the legitimacy of the election result, discarded the "possibility of fraud", repudiated the demonstrations and advised the participants to "put the ball down", and concluded that "it's no use crying anymore".

[139] The president of the Parliamentary Mixed Front for the Defense of Independent and Full-Time Truck Drivers, Nereu Crispim [pt], affirmed that there are no plans to paralyze the category as a whole.

The French newspaper Le Monde highlighted the "potentially deleterious consequences" that these blockades will cause to Brazil's economy, British broadcaster BBC cited the protests as causing "considerable disturbance" to the daily lives of Brazilians, The Italian La Repubblica pointed to Bolsonaro's "absolute silence" while Brazil was "in flames", American newspaper The New York Times said that the road protests "echoes Bolsonaro's baseless claims before the election", while The Washington Post reported the fact that the roadblocks have been organized by pro-Bolsonaro Telegram channels.