In the state of Pernambuco in north-eastern Brazil, poor peasants have been blockading the highway in the town of Escada for several days. The reason for these massive road blockades is the murder of the poor peasant Deyvison Batista da Silva, who was first arrested by the military police for no reason on the afternoon of February 21 of this year and then detained.

Deyvison was standing talking to two friends on the day of his murder when three military policemen on motorcycles stopped in front of him and began to harass him. The three policemen, including the cop nicknamed "Pitbull", who was notorious for his aggression among the local population, then grabbed Deyvison and beat him. It was "Pitbull" who then shot Deyvison in the face at close range.

Deyvison was then taken to a hospital and placed in solitary confinement without the possibility of family visits. Reports from local residents say that the military police sealed off the hospital against Deyvison's relatives and denied them any access in order to fabricate accusations against Deyvison. And indeed, as in so many cases of reactionary violence, the military police claim that Deyvison was armed, which was denied by all witnesses to the attack. Deyvison leaves behind his wife, who is 7 months pregnant, and his unborn child.

A few hours after the death of Deyvison, the residents of Escada began blocking the BR-101 highway with burning tires. The next day, Escada residents continued their actions with great intensity, taking three places under siege. A bridge in the city center was blocked, a police station, the camp of the military police battalion was blocked by protesters, as well as the BR-101 highway again. On the third day, February 23, the residents again stood on the highway with burning tires and also beat back the firefighters who were sent to extinguish the burning barricades.

The democratic and revolutionary newspaper "A Nova Democracia" writes that the vigorous actions and the intensity of the blockades show the consistent and unyielding attitude of the residents of the city of Escada, who no longer tolerate the reactionary violence by the police and demand justice for Deyvison and his wife with decisive actions.

On the website "A Nova Democracia" there are also many different videos of the blockades, demonstrations and self-organized actions of the masses.

On March 2, in the city of São Sebastião do Caí in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the far south of Brazil, residents of the city began blocking four kilometers of the RS-122 highway after two protests.The reason for the protest and the blockades is the introduction of tolls from which the city's residents would not be exempt. In concrete terms, this would mean that residents would have to pay 12.30 real (the currency in Brazil) each time they leave and re-enter the city by car. Protests against this outrageous and alien decision by state and local politicians have been organizing for several months and weeks now.