Thousands of people gathered on Sunday in Sao Paulo to support former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, enough to test his popularity amid a scandal over suspicions of a “coup attempt.”
The demonstrators, wearing green and yellow, the colors of Brazil, poured into Paulista Street, the symbolic artery of the largest city in Latin America.
The former president (2019-2022) spoke and denounced his disqualification during this show of force, where organizers expected about 500,000 people to attend.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in front of a large crowd of supporters in São Paulo.
Photo: Reuters/Carla Carnell
We cannot accept that any force excludes someone from the political scene except for a valid reason. We cannot imagine elections by excluding opponents
He said to a crowd of his supporters.
Last year, the former president was declared ineligible until 2030 on misinformation charges.
Suspicions Coup attempt
Targeted for investigation into an alleged case Coup attempt
To avoid electoral defeat in 2022 by incumbent leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro again denied any involvement during his speech on Sunday.
What is a coup? Tanks on the streets, weapons and plots. None of this happened in Brazil
” he said, asking further Pardon the poor buggers imprisoned in Brasilia
After they dismissed positions of power on January 8, 2023, a week after Lula's inauguration.
He also said in his speech again oppressed
. I seek to calm down, erase the past, and find a way to live in peace
He confirmed.
A civilian police helicopter flies over a rally in support of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo, Brazil, February 25.
Photo: AFP via Getty Images/Miguel Chincariol
It is important to support him
Among the crowd, Wilson Aseca, who had traveled about 700 kilometers from neighboring Minas Gerais state, was certain Bolsonaro was president. honest person
And Victim of persecution
. This 63-year-old man, with a Brazilian flag wrapped around his neck, confirmed that it was It is important to support him, because he represents God, country and family
the slogan of the former president.
On February 8, Bolsonaro was banned from leaving Brazilian territory after a large-scale police operation targeting several former close collaborators, including former ministers and high-ranking military personnel, with dozens of searches and arrests.
Jair Bolsonaro, who says he is a victim Persecution
He remained silent on Thursday in the face of federal police investigators who summoned him in this case. He followed the advice of his lawyers, who said they were unable to access some of the documents in the file.
However, the former army captain loudly stated that he intended to Defend yourself from accusations
Which was the topic during the demonstration in São Paulo.
Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attended a rally in São Paulo on February 25.
Photo: AFP via Getty Images/Nelson Almeida
It is also the target of other investigations, in particular on suspicion of forging coronavirus vaccination certificates or the alleged misappropriation of gifts received from foreign countries, including jewelry from Saudi Arabia.
He is still loved by his supporters
Despite these scandals, Jair Bolsonaro is still considered the leader of the opposition and remains beloved by his supporters.
The former president also intends to use his influence to elect his allies during municipal elections in October in a country that remains highly polarized.
On Paulista Avenue, far from the flow of his supporters, the presence of opposition political figures would make it possible to measure the extent of his support.
If there is a lot of support, he will be able to say that people are with him. Otherwise, it will lose all legitimacy.
On the 25th, I will go to Brazil. It will be gigantic!
Posted by X Network (formerly Twitter) MP Pia Casesis, from Bolsonaro's Liberal Party.
This demonstration was organized among others by Pastor Silas Malavia, who has great influence among millions of evangelical Brazilians, and one of the Bolsonarian voter bases.
Israeli flags were also raised among the crowd, indicating disagreement with the words of Lula, who last Sunday compared the Israeli attack on Gaza to the Holocaust, which sparked a diplomatic crisis with Israel. The former president himself waved the Israeli flag on a platform mounted on a truck.
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