On this morning of Wednesday, November 2, Beth does not take her eyes off Samira. Mother and daughter stand side by side in the vast concourse of the Central do Brasil train station in central Rio de Janeiro. ” She is only 20 years old, this is her very first manifestation.explains, moved and worried, this thirty-year-old, saleswoman by profession, who came by train from distant Nova Iguaçu, a miserable northern suburb of the “wonderful city”, to proclaim her unconditional support for “her” president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Like Beth and Samira, they were tens of thousands, dressed in green and gold jerseys, gathered across Brazil on Wednesday to protest against the result of the October 30 election, which saw the far-right head of state defeated at the ballot box by former president Luiz Inacio da Silva, winner with 50.9% of the vote. An unacceptable outcome for these fanatical Bolsonarists, who denounce electoral fraud and believe that victory has been stolen from them.
In Rio de Janeiro, the demonstrators came in large numbers, armed with Brazilian flags, braving the pouring rain and sacrificing a holiday (that of the Day of the Dead) to make their voices heard. For them, the feeling of injustice is mixed with urgency. “If Lula comes back, it’s over for Brazil and our freedoms! I’m here for my daughter’s future, I don’t want her to grow up in a communist dictatorship like Cuba or Venezuela.” alarmed Beth, saleswoman.
“Armed forces, save Brazil!” »
The rallies were everywhere organized in front of army installations: in Rio, the Duque de Caxias palace, an intimidating Mussolino-Stalinist building from the 1940s, conveniently located next to the Central do Brasil station and housing the military command of the ‘East. “We demand a “federal intervention”. It means that we want the army to take power and organize new elections, clean ones! », details the very determined Janderson, 50, lion tattoo on his bicep. Facing the building, the crowd raises their fists, sings the national anthem and chants loudly: “Armed forces, save Brazil!” »
It doesn’t matter if the day before, Jair Bolsonaro himself publicly acknowledged his defeat and started the transition process. Among the fiercest “Bolsonarists”, no one believes in the sincerity of the president. Judges, parliamentarians and all that counts the “system” would have twisted the arm of the head of state, forcing him to make these soothing words. Far-right propaganda portrays a cornered and beleaguered captain, needing his popular “army” more than ever to defend him. “We are ready for war”proclaims a leaflet massively distributed online.
You have 64.36% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.