Tens of thousands of sympathizers from Jair Bolsonaro came down to the streets of several cities in Brazil (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia …) on Sunday, after the announcement by Washington of customs from customs against the South American country and sanctions against the judge in charge of the trial of the ex-president of the far right.
Jair Bolsonaro, 70, was the big absent from these demonstrations. Aimed by an investigation for alleged obstruction of his trial for attempted coup, he has been forced since mid-July to wear an electronic bracelet, to stay at home evening and weekend, and it is forbidden to use social networks.
“He cannot speak, but we can speak in his place,” chanted the deputy Marco Congiciano, harangating the demonstrators massaged on avenue Paulista, an emblematic artery of Sao Paulo, where the main demonstration took place, which brought together more than 37,000 people according to the estimates of a research group from the University of Sao Paulo (USP). It is three times more than during the last demonstration on the same avenue in the presence of the ex-president in late June.
A member of his entourage sent a video of Jair Bolsonaro, Bermuda and jersey of the Brazilian football team to AFP on Sunday, watching images of the demonstrations on his phone.
Sanctions greeted by demonstrators
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department inflicted financial sanctions on the Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, in charge of the Bolsonaro trial. On the same day, Donald Trump invoked a “witch hunt” targeting his far-right ally to justify a 50% customs surcharge on certain Brazilian products exported to the United States, a measure which must enter into force on August 6.
Accused of conspired to maintain himself in power despite his electoral defeat against the current left president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2022, Jair Bolsonaro faces a heavy prison sentence during the trial which should be completed in the coming weeks.
On Copacabana beach, where the demonstration took place in Rio de Janeiro, Flavio Bolsonaro, senator and eldest son of the ex-president, welcomed the sanctions inflicted on the Moraes judge: “The greatest democracy in the world appointed him as a human rights”.
Customs duties, a necessary evil
On Sunday, Lula spoke of the punitive surcharge on Brazilian products exported to the United States during a workers’ party event, his political training, in Brasilia. “We want to negotiate (…), we don’t want to fight. But they don’t think we are afraid, “said the president of the first economy in Latin America. “We want to negotiate on equal conditions, we want to be respected at our fair value.”
In the demonstration in Brasilia, Erick Fabiano believes that the customs surcharge imposed by Washington “is not the fault of Bolsonaro”. “It’s Lula’s fault, which has caused Trump for a long time already.”
“I agree with these sanctions. As we did not find a solution here, it had to come from there, “said Marristela Dos Santos, demonstrator in Rio. Sporting an American flag on her shoulders, this 62 -year -old teacher does not fear the economic impact of the customs surcharge announced by Washington.
“What would worry me is that Brazil becomes like Venezuela and that we no longer find something to eat in the supermarket,” she argues, saying that under the left government of Lula, Brazil may undergo the same problems of serious shortages as the Venezuelans under the regime of socialist president Nicolas Maduro.
Paulo Roberto, 46 -year -old entrepreneur, also finds that punitive customs duties are a necessary evil in order to put pressure on the Brazilian parliament to approve an amnesty law in favor of Jair Bolsonaro. “Sometimes you have to know how to take a few steps back to aspire to more freedom and a better quality of life in the future,” says this man with muscular arms covered with tattoos.