Several thousand people gathered in Sao Paulo on Sunday to support former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is the subject of an investigation into a suspected “coup attempt.” He denounced his ineligibility in front of his supporters.
Thousands of Brazilians gathered in Sao Paulo on Sunday, February 25, to support former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who denounced his ineligibility during this show of force.
“We cannot accept that any power can remove someone from the political scene unless it is for good reason. We cannot imagine elections in which opponents are disqualified,” he told the crowd of his supporters.
The former president, who wears a yellow jersey of the Brazilian soccer team, a symbol appropriated by the Bolsonaristas, was banned until 2030 last year for disinformation.
Targeted by an investigation into an alleged “coup attempt” to avert his 2022 election defeat to current leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, he again denied any involvement.
“What is a coup? Tanks on the streets, weapons, attacks. “None of this happened in Brazil,” he said, continuing to call for “an amnesty for the poor guys imprisoned in Brasilia” after they looted the places of power in January 8, 2023, a week after Lula’s inauguration.
In his speech he again called himself “persecuted”. “I seek peace to erase the past and find a way to live in peace,” he assured.
Supporters defend “victims of persecution”
Also dressed in green and yellow, the colors of Brazil, his supporters gathered en masse on Avenida Paulista, the emblematic artery of Latin America's largest metropolis. The organizers expected around 500,000 people.
In the crowd, Wilson Aseka, who traveled around 700 kilometers from the neighboring state of Minas Gerais, is certain: “Bolsonaro is an honest person, a victim of persecution.” The 63-year-old, with the Brazilian flag around his neck, thinks so “It is important to support him because he represents God, homeland and family,” was the former president’s slogan.
“Brazil is on his side, we are not concerned about others, but about him representing us again,” said Giovanna Bruneta, a 36-year-old lawyer.
On February 8, Jair Bolsonaro was banned from leaving Brazilian territory following a large-scale police operation that carried out dozens of searches and arrests of several former close associates, including ex-ministers and senior military officials.
Jair Bolsonaro, who says he is a victim of “persecution,” remained silent on Thursday before federal police investigators who summoned him in connection with the affair. He followed the advice of his lawyers, who said they had not had access to certain documents in the file.
The former army captain is also the subject of further investigations, in particular on suspicion of forging Covid-19 vaccination certificates or allegedly misappropriating gifts from abroad, including jewelry offered by Saudi Arabia.
Local elections in October
Despite these scandals, Jair Bolsonaro is still considered the leader of the opposition and continues to be revered by his supporters.
Despite being declared unelectable until 2030 last year because of disinformation, the ex-president wants to use his influence to elect allies in local elections in October, in a country that is still very polarized.
On Avenida Paulista, apart from the influx of his supporters, it should be possible to estimate the extent of his support based on the presence of opposition political figures.
“If there is a lot of support, he will be able to say that people are on his side. Otherwise he will lose all legitimacy,” said André Rosa, a political scientist at the University of Brasilia (UDF).
“I’m flying to Brazil on the 25th. This will be gigantic!” published on X (ex-Twitter) MP Bia Kicis from Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party.
The demonstration is being organized, among others, by Pastor Silas Malafaia, who is very influential among the millions of evangelical Brazilians, one of the pillars of the Bolsonarist voter base.
Israeli flags in the crowd
During his term, many expressions of support were accompanied by slogans against Brazilian institutions, particularly the Supreme Court.
It was a judge of this Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, who authorized the police operation as part of the investigation into the “attempted coup”.
On January 8, 2023, a week after Lula's inauguration, thousands of his supporters ransacked places of power in Brasilia, including the Supreme Court.
Israeli flags also fly on Avenida Paulista, a sign of disagreement with the statements made by Lula, who last Sunday compared the Israeli offensive in Gaza to the Holocaust, thereby provoking a diplomatic crisis with Israel. The former president himself waved an Israeli flag installed on a truck on stage.
With AFP