Judicial proceedings in Brazil – Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters on the streets in Rio de Janeiro – News

  • Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called on thousands of supporters to “defend freedom of expression” at a rally on the famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
  • The event took place on Sunday amid clashes between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom Musk has accused of censorship.
  • Bolsonaro described the billionaire as “a man who had the courage to show where our democracy is heading.”

Moraes is conducting several proceedings in Brazil, including against so-called digital militias, which are said to have spread false information and hate speech on social networks, especially during the term of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022).

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In his speech, Bolsonaro once again called for an amnesty for his supporters, some of whom were sentenced to long prison sentences for the attack on the government district in early 2023.

Reuters/Guilherme Casaroes

As part of the investigation, Moraes ordered the closure of several suspect accounts on Musk’s short message platform X, formerly Twitter. The billionaire, in turn, accused Moraes of betraying the constitution and the Brazilian people. He threatened to reactivate blocked accounts and thereby disregard court orders. The Brazilian judge then opened an investigation against the businessman.

Several investigations against Bolsonaro

Just two months ago, tens of thousands of supporters protested at a rally in the metropolis of São Paulo against the criminal investigations underway against the former head of state. Bolsonaro is currently being investigated for his alleged involvement in overthrow plans following the election victory of current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for embezzlement and for forging Covid vaccination passports.

“Bolsonaro wants to put pressure on the judiciary”


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Political calculations lie behind Bolsonaro’s appearances in the streets of major Brazilian cities, says political scientist Guilherme Casarões from the Getulio Vargas Foundation, one of Brazil’s oldest think tanks. “The former president knows full well that the streets are his greatest source of power. And the Bolsonarist movement is one that emerged outside of institutions,” says Casarões.

Bolsonaro’s way of politicizing is based on “the personal relationship between Bolsonaro and the people,” says the political scientist. In times when Bolsonaro is up to his neck legally, this support is even more important. Due to a court ruling, the former president is also barred from elections and public office until 2030.

“With these large demonstrations, Bolsonaro wants to secure public support and put pressure on the judiciary. It is even possible that this strategy is also an attempt to put pressure on the electoral authorities so that he can run for office in 2026. Bolsonaro portrays the Supreme Court and Judge Moraes as an extension of the Lula government.

He was defeated by the left-wing politician Lula in the runoff election for the presidency in October 2022. On January 8, 2023, supporters of the ex-military who did not want to recognize Lula’s election victory stormed Congress, the seat of government and the Supreme Court in Brasília and caused considerable damage.

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