Brazilian Attorney Accuses Politicians Of Paying Teens To Disrupt Protests

Jonas Tadeu, the lawyer representing Caio Silva de Souza, the man accused of lighting the firework that killed the cameraman Santiago Andrade, 49, revealed to Folha on Wednesday that his client and other young people were paid at least R$150 (USD $62) for each protest in Rio in which they participated, according to The Sao Paulo Folha.

Tadeu said that the payments are part of a scheme which aims to promote violence and criminal damage during the protests, the Folha reported. He also suggested that politicians are involved.

Caio Souza was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning in the northeastern state of Bahia. In an interview with Globo News, he admitted lighting the firework that killed Andrade, a cameraman with TV Band, according to the Folha.

Souza, who has now been sent to a prison in Rio, added that he did not intend to hit anyone, claiming he thought the device was a stationary explosive rather than a projectile, the Folha reported. He said he would only speak to the police in court.

Tadeu emphasized that Souza lives in a "miserable situation, not in the sense of being a monster or a criminal, but in terms of his financial situation, in terms of the great poverty in which he lives," the Folha reported.

The lawyer did not provide names of anyone who had contracted Souza or any other young people to protest, but he alleged that politicians are involved, according to the Folha. He also said that the scheme provides protesters with fireworks, masks and money.

"The money is paid to them by an activist, though they didn't give a name. This activist is involved with politicians, regional heads of political parties, city councilmen, congressmen and senators," Tadeu said to Folha over the telephone.

For Tadeu, both Souza and the tattoo artist Fábio Raposo, who is also facing criminal charges for his involvement in the incident, "had their freedom taken by people stirring up social terrorism," according to the Folha.

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