Politics · Brazil · 3 hrs ago
Groups say Lula campaign denied drone access for Paulista crowd count
Two groups that estimate crowd sizes at public events say they could not count attendance at a rally for President Lula on Sunday, October 11, on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo.
They said Lula’s campaign did not authorize them to fly a drone over the event, which they use to estimate crowds from aerial images.
The groups say they have been denied permission for three events linked to Lula’s campaign this year.
They questioned why aerial images of Sunday’s rally were later released by news outlets and accounts they describe as aligned with the campaign.
They say they follow the same method for events involving different political groups and recognize that security protocols may limit drone flights.
The presidential security office, known as the GSI, is responsible for planning and coordinating events with the president and can impose drone restrictions.
Lula’s campaign and the GSI had not responded to requests for comment by publication.
The groups have renewed their request for access to any further rallies before the second-round election on October 25.
The Monitor do Debate Político no Meio Digital and More in Common Brasil say they could not count the crowd at a rally on Paulista Avenue because Lula’s campaign did not authorize a drone flight.
The rally took place in São Paulo on Sunday, October 11.
The groups say this was the third time during the campaign that they were unable to count an event linked to Lula’s candidacy.
They questioned why aerial images of Sunday’s rally were produced and later shared by news outlets and accounts they describe as aligned with the campaign.
Lula’s campaign and the Institutional Security Office did not respond to Folha before publication.
- Who
- The Monitor do Debate Político no Meio Digital and More in Common Brasil say they were denied drone access by Lula’s campaign.
- What
- They did not conduct a crowd estimate at the rally because they did not receive authorization to fly a drone.
- When
- Sunday, October 11. The year is not specified for the rally in the article.
- Where
- Paulista Avenue, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Why
- The campaign did not provide a reason for the denial. The groups say their count depended on authorization from the campaign and security team.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Lula’s campaign authorized a drone flight at a rally in Vale do Anhangabaú, where the Monitor estimated a crowd of 9,580.
The groups requested permission to conduct a count at the launch of Lula’s campaign in São Bernardo do Campo; they say the request was denied.
The groups requested permission to count a rally in São Paulo; they say the request was denied.
The groups say they were not authorized to fly a drone over the Paulista Avenue rally and did not conduct a crowd estimate.
- Organizations
- Monitor do Debate Político no Meio Digital and More in Common Brasil
- Rally location
- Paulista Avenue, São Paulo
- Requests denied
- Three, according to the organizations
- Earlier crowd estimate
- 9,580 at a 2022 rally in Vale do Anhangabaú
- Other reported estimates
- 20,400 at a Nikolas Ferreira rally on Paulista Avenue; 8,900 at Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign launch in Copacabana
What people are saying
Todos os pedidos foram negados
Se há sobrevoos permitidos para produzir imagens de divulgação, a recusa a uma equipe de pesquisa independente, com histórico público de trabalho, deixa de ser uma questão técnica e passa a ser uma escolha
Sources
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