Brazil's 'bullets, beef and bible' caucus wants to imprison 16-year-olds
Bolstered by rising resentment toward President Dilma Rousseff, Jair Bolsonaro and other rightwing politicians want to lower age of criminal responsibility
Brazilian legislator Jair Bolsonaro: the country’s social assistance programmes have encouraged ‘irresponsible paternity’. Photograph: Fernando Bizerra Jr./EPA
Among Brazil’s weak and demoralised leftwing members of Congress, they are known as the “Bancada BBB”: Bullets, Beef and Bible Caucus.
These conservative hardliners – from Brazil’s security forces, agricultural sector and evangelical churches – triumphed in last October’s legislative elections, whilePresident Dilma Rousseff, of the leftwing Workers’ Party (PT), only narrowly won re-election.
