Community radio station, Ibicoara FM, was set on fire the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the city of Ibicoara, located in the Brazilian state of Bahía, reported the blog Minuto Notícias. The door of the station had been forced open, and all of the broadcast equipment was burned.
A report from the station denied a relationship between the attack and the military police strike taking place in the state of Bahía, but it said that the fire was set intentionally, reported Brazilian newspaper Correio 24 horas. According to the director of the radio station, Emerson Silva Bispo, the attack was politically motivated and could be related to the broadcast of the show, "Voz del Pueblo", or "The People's Voice," a space dedicated "to hear the population, and alert authorities of the need to develop public policies to better the city," reported the website Itaberaba Notícias.
According to Bispo, from the start of the program about a month ago, "Voz del Pueblo" created resentment in local politicians. "Everything we have acquired through more than 15 years of struggle has been lost in this tragedy," said Bispo, as quoted by Correio 24 horas.
