Reviewed Content: Image posted on Twitter shows the Liberal Party (PL) convention held at the Maracanãzinho gym in Rio de Janeiro on July 24. The law showed that President Jair Bolsonaro’s candidacy for re-election had been approved. In the image, you can see empty spaces in the stands and on the field. The post is accompanied by the title “Flopou”. The term is a slang term used as a synonym for the verb “to fail.”

where was it published: Twitter.

Completion of the Evidence: A picture shared on Twitter is misleading, and its caption states that the PL convention held on July 24 to formalize Bolsonaro’s reelection candidacy “falls out” with low supporters.

The shared footage records areas where the public is not allowed to be in the stands, behind the scenes. And although there are empty spaces in the area reserved for caravans, on the side of the stands and in the front of the stage, according to political legend, 12 thousand people attended the event. Comprova also tried to control the number of attendees with the management of Maracanãzinho and the company Sympla, which distributes tickets for the convention, but got no response. According to information on Maracanãzinho’s official Maracanã website, the maximum number of people sitting in the stands is 11,800 Maracanãzinho.

For Comprova, misleading is content taken from the original context and used in another context with its meaning altered; uses inaccurate data or leads to an interpretation that differs from the author’s intention; Confusing content with or without the intentional intent to harm.

Broadcast scope: Posts with an image of Jair Bolsonaro’s initiation event for reelection, added to two Twitter profiles until July 28, received more than 52,000 likes, 2,100 comments and 3,412 retweets.

What the author of the publication says: Only one of the profiles searched by Comprova in a direct message on Twitter – UpdateCharts – responded to the person, but did not provide information about the author of the photo.

In his post, the UpdateCharts profile states that Bolsonaro’s congress “disappeared” after fans of the K-pop movement mobilized to boycott the event, using the same strategy as Donald Trump’s rally, selling tickets by people who had no intention of attending. .for the event.

In the case of a PL contract, we are questioning the profile about where the information regarding the alleged actions of k-pop fans is obtained and whether there is information on the use of sites that generate personal data on the profile side. with the aim of clogging the ticketing platform and causing supporters of the president to fail to register.

In response, the profile only posted links to articles posted on websites like Estado de Minas and Estadão, explaining the context of the press’s relationship between action in the US and the PL contract.

The GadoDecider profile also searched by Comprova did not respond.

how do we check: First we Googled the words “PL convention”, “Maracanãzinho” and “Bolsonaro”. The research led to media coverage of the action, as in the case of Poder 360, G1 and Metropoles.

We also looked for information on the Maracanã official website about the capacity of Maracanãzinho, the gym hosting the congress. Comprova emailed the management of the place, but received no response from the public attending the event, as well as the areas PL had reserved for the action.

The same questions were asked to the party by contacting the press office, but no answer was given. We also reviewed videos and photos in the media and files shared by PL’s own press office.

To try to understand the size of the audience at the event, we searched for information on the website of Sympla, a Brazilian technology startup specializing in ticket sales and organization of large events. There we find metric references for how many people can fit in one square meter and how to define the maximum capacity for an event.

Finally, we tried to contact the authors of the content published on Twitter.

PL Agreement

On July 24 of this year, PL held the national convention that resulted in the approval of Jair Bolsonaro’s candidacy for re-election for president. The event was held in Rio de Janeiro at the Maracanãzinho gym, which has a capacity of 11,800 people sitting in the stands.

The law brought together politicians and supporters of the president. According to the party’s press office, the number of spectators occupying the tribunes as well as the court was 12,000. Most of those present at the event wore green and yellow clothing alluding to the Brazilian flag. The same colors were dominant in the decoration of the gym.

The law also identified General Walter Braga Neto (PL) as his deputy on the ticket under Bolsonaro. Before the president arrived on the scene, a virtual ballot was held in which both names were unanimously approved.

Bolsonaro attended the event along with his wife, First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro. Of the president’s three parliamentary sons, only Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) attended. Congressman Carlos Bolsonaro and federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro were visiting the United States.

According to the official information released by PL before the convention took place, the arrival of the president at the venue was scheduled for 11:22.

Event boycott vs k-pop movement

In one of the Twitter posts showing some of the empty stands of the Maracanãzinho gym, one of the profiles mentioned a boycott of the event kick-off by members of the K-pop movement, a musical style in South Korea. The candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro… According to articles published by the Estado de Minas newspaper and the website of the newspaper Nexo, genre-affiliated Twitter users and left-wing activists entered the Sympla platform, which is responsible for the distribution of mandatory tickets for congress entrance, and used content generating sites. personal data such as CPF, email and zip code so that the platform is blocked and Bolsonaro supporters cannot collect tickets to attend the event.

The action would be inspired by something happening in the USA in 2020. In that year’s presidential election, then-re-election candidate Donald Trump was the target of similar protests. At the time, K-pop fans and TikTok users claimed they were in charge of small audiences during a presidential rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At the time, the Trump campaign even announced that the event had more than 1 million registrations, but only 6,200 people attended the rally.

As far as the PL contract is concerned, 50,000 registrations were made to attend the event, according to information published by the party itself and published by the newspaper O Globo. However, 40,000 people were canceled because they were identified as fake profiles.

The Sympla platform confirmed that the requests made were excluded, but did not explain to Comprova how they detected the accounts to be fake profiles.

“Sympla also declares that it does not disclose data about organizers and events created on the platform. If necessary, this information can be requested directly from the producers responsible for organizing and running these events,” he added.

Photos show greater density of people

According to an article published by the Estado de São Paulo newspaper, with the ticket cancellations requested, PL allowed entry to the convention without the need to present tickets, but limited the audience to 10,000 people. The maximum capacity estimated by the party was reached after the convention, as the party reported having 12,000 attendees (including supporters, press and politicians).

Comprova tried to confirm data on the total number of people present at the congress with the Maracanãzinho administration itself, but received no response.

Images released by the newspaper O Globo, whose team has been on the field since 9:30 am, show images of occupied spaces as well as empty spaces in Maracanãzinho.

According to the broadcast, although the left side of the stands was empty throughout the event, the right side remained full.

According to Globo, on the field, the fans arranged themselves closer to the stage, which created the impression of space in the back. The verified post only shows the angle of the backstage and a good portion of the left side of the stands that were empty during the event.

The images posted by the caption (above) also show some gaps in certain sectors, such as the entire left part of the stands, the part farthest from the stage. Also a few chairs on the right. According to a report in the Estado de São Paulo newspaper, some of the spectators who were in the stands during the congress also moved onto the field, causing more empty seats in the seats.

Comprova contacted the photographer responsible for the event footage released by PL to access metadata and confirm the times the photos were taken, but received no response.

It is worth noting that although PL has announced a total of 12 thousand people – more than the expected 10 thousand – at the congress, the information presented on the website of the platform (Sympla), which manages the distribution of tickets for the congress, is available. In an organization with standing people, accommodation can be provided between three and nine people per square meter.

Thus, in the case of Maracanãzinho, in a calculation that ignores the limitations imposed by the Fire Brigade and the organizers themselves, as well as the installation of a stage and other structures, the total area of ​​the court is 40×20 meters (800m²), a minimum of three people per square meter, as stated by the Maracanã site. Considering the number of people, 3,200 people could be hosted on the court. In addition to the 11,800-seat tribunes, considering nine people per square meter, the maximum would be 7,200.

why are we investigating: Comprova is investigating questionable content that has gone viral on social media about the epidemic, the public policies of the federal government, and the presidential election. False or misleading content featuring the current president and pre-election candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, can affect the understanding of the truth and the image that voters form about the politician. The selection regarding the candidate should be made on the basis of accurate and reliable information.

Other related checks: As this year’s election process approaches, the number of disinformation content circulating on social media is increasing, especially involving presidential candidates like Jair Bolsonaro.

Comprova, Bolsonaro’s “Go to work, lazy!” Contrary to the post’s claim, which has a photo montage of him riding a motorcycle under his banner, it has already shown Bolsonaro being applauded by ambassadors. It’s in Salvador, and these videos are misleading to say that adherence to the pro-Bolsonaro law is low.