Bolsonaro seeks show of strength, risks backfire
Some supporters call for military intervention
BRASILIA, Brazil – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro got a rousing reception from tens of thousands of people gathered in the capital Tuesday in an Independence Day show of support for the right-wing leader embroiled in a feud with the country’s Supreme Court.
Bolsonaro, in an address inaudible to many in the crowd far from the loudspeakers, lashed out at the high court and said the nation can no longer accept what he characterized as political imprisonments – a reference to arrests ordered by Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
He warned that the court could “suffer what we don’t want.”
The crowd began chanting, “Alexandre out!”
Bolsonaro’s speech followed a helicopter flyover, with those on the ground seized with euphoria at the sight. They shouted, “Legend!” and “I authorize!” – a slogan widely understood as blanket approval of his methods. Some carried banners calling for military intervention to secure Bolsonaro’s hold on power.
Bolsonaro has called on the Senate to impeach de Moraes, who has jailed several of the president’s supporters for allegedly financing, organizing or inciting violence or disseminating false information.
In Sao Paulo, where the president was scheduled to speak in the afternoon, Bolsonaro supporters crammed into the broad Avenue Paulista downtown
for a significantly larger rally than t in Brasilia, while in Rio de Janeiro, they gathered on the road alongside Copacabana beach. All three cities also featured smaller protests against the president.
Bolsonaro spent almost two months calling on supporters to take part in rallies across the country on independence day that could show his continuing political appeal despite slumping poll ratings and a string of setbacks.
Critics feared the demonstrations could take a violent turn. Some said they were afraid Bolsonaro could be preparing a tropical version of the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, where supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, alleging he had been robbed of a reelection victory.
Bolsonaro was elected on a pledge to go after a corrupt, entrenched political class. He has also said he might reject
the 2022 election results if he loses.
The world’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll, a drumbeat of accusations of wrongdoing in the government’s handling of the pandemic, and surging inflation have weighed on Bolsonaro’s approval ratings.
Polls show his nemesis, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, could trounce him in a runoff if he enters the race.
Tuesday’s demonstrations “may show that he has millions of people who are ready to stand up and be with him even when Brazil’s economy is in a bad situation, inflation near 10%, the pandemic and all that,” said Thomas Traumann, a political analyst.
“If Bolsonaro feels he has the support of millions of Brazilians, he will go further in his challenging of the Supreme Court,” Traumann added.