Marcos do Val

Marcos Ribeiro do Val (born 15 June 1971) is a Brazilian gun instructor, speaker, politician and former military, member of Podemos (PODE). In the 2018 state election, he was elected senator for Espírito Santo.

Biography

Marcos do Val was conscripted by the Brazilian Army, assigned to the 38th Infantry Battalion, headquartered in Espírito Santo. After an interview in 2008, Federal Police searches Senator Marcos do Val's office and addresses TV Globo talk show Programa do Jô, do Val received significant attention from the media, and was regularly invited by the press to give his opinion on issues related to public security.

Marcos do Val participated in many events related to public security. As instructor, he also participated in the production of some films and preparation of actors, such as in Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. Besides that, he gives interviews about this subject, besides demonstrating tactics he teaches in classes for police officers.

In the beginning of the 1990s, hefounded CATI, security company focused on advanced training for police officers. Through this company, do Val has ministered courses and lectures which aim to spread many techniques and doctrines inherent to police acting, such as approaches and non-lethal tactical restraints.

According to him, his motivation in developing these techniques and apply them in police units came from his wish to reduce violence and fatalities in unsuccessful police approaches due to lack of training. Most of these techniques were created by Marcos do Val from his experience serving on the Brazilian Armed Forces, the support of the Budokai Martial Arts Center in Vitória and his experience in Aikido, in which he's a 2nd grade master accredited by the International Aikido Federation, based in Tokyo.

These techniques involve tactics to manipulate and immobilize suspects essentially through the use of hands or hands with cuffs, still involving a context of stress, risk and unpredictability.

The success with the initial classes motivated do Val to spread his knowledge to foreign police officers. At the end of the 1990s, he began working as police instructor in Dallas, Texas with SWAT units, an elite group of American police. With this unit, and later with other police units in Beaumont and Rowlett, Texas, classes he named "Super SWAT", aimed to prepare officers to face critical situations, such as invasions techniques, approaches, immobilization and combat, also following-up some operations.

Later, he held classes for the FBI, DEA and U.S. Marshals agents, the Vatican security, the Rome police Carabinieri and for the United States Armed Forces military.

Marcos do Val also became part of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association, which gathers instructor teams to enhance their skills and improve their knowledge.

In October 2008, after the tragic ending of the Eloá Pimentel case, do Val was interviewed by TV Globo Fantástico, when he criticized the failures caused by the Military Police of São Paulo State and governor José Serra. At the occasion, he criticized the state government for allegedly interfering in police actions, which he said partly contributed to the fatality.

According to his evaluation, "there would have to be a police officer with a ballistic shield, Nayara beside him, the officer holding her to approach, to talk. If it's the case, retreat. But not letting her alone, walking, opening the door. The kidnapper felt powerful at this time, because he had his hostage back. It's a serious mistake and I feel ashamed to be Brazilian and knowing that the Brazilian police did this". His statements received criticism from some people, however. He later was interviewed on Mais Você to explain his position, which he said was decontextualized, as he had no intention of saying he was ashamed of his nationality or the country's police. On the other hand, some people reaffirmed their criticism of Marcos do Val, among them, Veja magazine journalist Reinaldo Azevedo, who wrote an article on his webpage named "Who really is the supposed SWAT specialist", where he alleged that Marcos was just a taekwondo teacher. In response do Val filed a lawsuit against the journalist. Later, the original article link was removed.

In the 2018 elections, Marcos do Val, member of the Popular Socialist Party (PPS), was elected senator for the state of Espírito Santo, receiving 863,359 votes (24.08% of the valid votes). Later, his party was renamed to Cidadania (English: Citizenship). In August 2019, he left Cidadania and joined Podemos (PODE).

Controversies

In February 2017, do Val had a disagreement with congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PSC-SP), when the lawmaker said he was offended by some statements made by Do Val about him. Days later, Marcos do Val posted a video explaining his position and an apology for what, according to him, was just a misunderstanding.

From 25 April to 5 May 2019, do Val took his girlfriend Brunella Poltronier Miguez, who was on his staff, to travel to the United States, taking advantage of payment by the Brazilian Senate. Brunella was dismissed the day before the trip and rehired as director-general one week after their return. This handling had the intention of ease his advisor's trip without Senate authorization. Senator Marcos do Val's comments were sought by the press on this situation but he remained silent.

After questioning Justice Minister Flávio Dino during a session of the Senate Public Security Commission about the 8 January coup attempt and defense of Dino's departure from office, Marcos do Val received answers considered blunt by the minister. Later, do Val published in his social media in a fatphobic attacks on the minister's weight. In one of the photos, the senator compared Dino to himself, in a picture which he's thinner than the justice minister. Later on, in allusion to Dino, he posted a video of a fat man running, dressed as Spider-Man, in allusion to the minister's latest statement in response to supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro: "If you're part of SWAT, I'm from the Avengers. Do you know them? Captain America, Spider-Man?". Afterwards, it was revealed that Marcos do Val had had bariatric surgery in the past; information was published about this with photos of the senator while overweight.

In another disagreement with Flávio Dino, do Val compared their supposed genitals' size, by posting an image of himself and the Minister on his social networks, both in swimming trunks, with the caption: "I'll show you who's taller and who has the better gun!" He later deleted the image, but the post had already gone viral.

On 15 June 2023, the Federal Police, authorized by Supreme Federal Court justice Alexandre de Moraes, searched residences linked to the senator, who was investigated for obstructing investigations on the 8 January attacks in Brasília. Marcos said that the judicial order was a political prosecution by the justice and that he was already expecting it, but not on his birthday. The senator's Twitter account was also blocked.

O Globo had access to the Federal Police report, revealing that Marcos, in different WhatsApp groups, boasted that he had the fate of two Presidents of the Republic in his hands: "I have a bomb in hand to destroy Bolsonaro and another one to destroy Lula." He also said he was responsible for Bolsonaro taking refuge in the United States after he lost the election: "I was invited by him [Bolsonaro] to do this. As member of CCAI [Mixed Intelligence Activities Control Commission], I started to wind it up to see how far it would go. When it was about to happen, I informed him that he would be committing a very serious crime against democracy and, from there, I reported it to the responsible authority. It was because of this that he fled to the USA."

The senator returned to Congress on 3 August, where he gave a speech on the Senate floor asking the house to not "engage in cannibalism".