Brazil on alert over protests at oil refineries

Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro are organizing protests and blockades at refineries owned by the state-controlled oil company Petrobras, seeking to disrupt fuel supplies.

Oil workers union FUP reported protests of around 30 to 150 people each at the Reman, Refap, Revap and Regap refineries early this morning.

The protesters are demanding the removal of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from office, claiming the October election that Lula won was allegedly stolen. The protests and planned attacks follow yesterday's storming of the country's congress, presidential palace and supreme court and were organized through social media, as posts and messages summoning protests at refineries started circulating over the weekend.

Last night, the head of Lula's Workers Party, Gleisi Hoffmann, posted videos of a blockade at the Repar refinery entrance. But the protests have not caused disruptions to operations so far, according to FUP.

The contents of the protesters' messaging indicate that Bolsonaro's followers are targeting Petrobras refineries, including the Duque de Caxias refinery (Reduc), in Rio de Janeiro state, the Gabriel Passos refinery (Regap), in Minas Gerais state, the Presidente Getulio Vargas refinery (Repar), in Parana, the Alberto Pasqualini refinery (Refap), in Rio Grande do Sul, the Henrique Lage refinery (Revap), in Sao Paulo state, and the Paulinia refinery (Replan), also in Sao Paulo and the country's biggest. Protesters also plan to disrupt deliveries from the Isaac Sabba refinery (Reman), in Amazonas state, owned since December by Ream, a subsidiary of the fuel distributor Atem.

Brazil has a total of 19 refineries, of which at least seven are reportedly targeted by Bolsonaro's supporters.

Last night, FUP urged governmental authorities to act against the protesters. "It is essential for the company to be prepared and to take action through all necessary means to ensure the safety of its workers and units, along with market supply", the union said.

Further security measures were arranged for Reduc by Rio de Janeiro's governor, Claudio Castro.

Brazil's newly-appointed mines and energy minister Alexandre Silveira promised to "ensure national fuel supply and normal operations at refineries, terminals and distribution centers."

By Nathalia Giannetti