Thousands of Jair Bolsonaro sympathizers came down to the streets of several cities in Brazil on Sunday, after the announcement of American sanctions against the judge in charge of the ex-president of the far right.
In Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro or Brasilia, most of the demonstrators were dressed in green and yellow, the colors of Brazil, and some brandished flags from the United States or “thank you Trump” signs.
Jair Bolsonaro, 70, was the big absent from these demonstrations. Aimed by an investigation for alleged obstruction of his trial for attempted coup, he is forced to wear an electronic bracelet, to stay at home evening and weekend, and forbidden to use social networks.
“He cannot speak, but we can speak in his place,” chanted the deputy Marco Feliciano, harangating the demonstrators massaged on avenue Paulista, an emblematic artery of Sao Paulo, where the main demonstration took place.
A member of the entourage of Jair Bolsonaro sent to AFP a video of the ex-president (2019-2022), in Bermuda and jersey of the Brazilian football team, looking on his phone images of the demonstrations.
“Human Rights Violer”
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, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 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 violer”.
“Negotiate on equal conditions”
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 Latin American economy. “We want to negotiate on equal conditions, we want to be respected at our fair value,” he insisted.
Present at the demonstration in Brasilia, Erick Fabiano believes that the customs surcharge imposed by Washington “is not the fault of Bolsonaro”. “It is Lula’s fault, which has caused Trump for a long time already.”
“100% agree with these sanctions”
“I agree 100% 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 enough to eat in the supermarket,” she argues, saying that under the left government of Lula, Brazil risks undergoing the same problems of serious shortages as the Venezuelans under the regime of the 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.
This article was published automatically. Sources: ATS / AFP