Lula should take advantage of the brawler in Aparecida to attack Bolsonaro in the first debate of the second round on Sunday Miguel Schinchariol/AFP
The brawler of the Bolsonaristas at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida celebrations on Wednesday 12 will be one of the topics of Sunday’s first presidential debate, to be broadcast by Band and Cultura TV channels. Drunken Bolsonaristas in front of the Basilica of Aparecida, inside São Paulo, harassed a young man in a red shirt and threatened a team of journalists from TV Vanguarda and TV Aparecida, who had to flee to the church. A mass was interrupted as the President’s supporters chanted slogans and the chorus of “Myth.” During the main Mass sermon, Bolsonaristas booed Archbishop Dom Orlando Brandes for speaking about hunger in the country. Incidents of this magnitude have never been seen at previous celebrations.
The President did not apologize for the behavior of his militants. In the only actual post about his visit to the city, he showed footage of the faithful cheering him on. On Tuesday 11th, the day before the visit of Bolsonarothe CNBB (National Bishops’ Conference of Brazil), in a note, regretted the President’s participation in the celebration “to obtain votes in the second round” and that “particularly religious moments cannot be used by candidates”. lula should blame Bolsonaro for the aggression in Aparecida.
Sunday’s debate is the first between Lula and Bolsonaro in the second round. Don’t expect a proposal discussion. In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has called his opponent a “pinguço and a thief” while being branded a “genocide”.
Images of Bolsonarista rioters in Aparecida reinforce a religious division in the campaign. As the first candidate to be backed by leaders of all evangelical denominations, Bolsonaro ran the most religiously meddling government of the century. Pastors were appointed to lead the Education and Human Rights ministries, and for the first time an evangelical advocate was appointed to the ministries Federal Court of Justice. Throughout the campaign, Bolsonaro increased his ties to evangelical churches and spread the lie that Lula would shut down the temples if elected.
As in physics, in politics for every action there is an equal reaction. Coopting evangelical leaders led to a rapprochement between the CNBB and Lula and the PT after years of conflict. In 2006, the CNBB endorsed Geraldo Alckmin as President and in 2010 on the eve of choice Pope Benedict 16 made statements against Dilma Rousseff. Terrified by the power being amassed by evangelical leaders, the bishops approached again.
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