Threats and violence mark pandemic debate in Bolsonaro's Brazil

Jose Antonio Arantes, a local newspaper editor and radio host, who had his house set on fire by a supporter of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, poses for a picture amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Olimpia, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, June 9, 2021. Picture taken June 9, 2021. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto

OLIMPIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Jose Antonio Arantes, a Brazilian newspaper editor and radio host, awoke around 4 a.m. on a morning in March to find his house had been set on fire. With buckets of water, he and his wife doused the blaze before it grew out of control.

Police in Olimpia, a small town in Sao Paulo state, soon tracked down the arsonist: a fireman called Claudio Assis.