Bolsonaro demonstrated strength by gathering crowd in Sao Paulo

Wearing the football team’s shirt, the former president addressed a wave of followers who took over more than six blocks of the symbolic Paulista Avenue. “We cannot accept that any power removes anyone from the political scene unless it is for a just cause.” “We cannot think about elections in isolation from our opponents,” said the far-right, who is disqualified for an eight-year term in 2023 for abuse of power.

Bolsonaro asked his supporters in Congress, where he has a majority, for “an apology for those poor unfortunate people imprisoned in Brasília.” The former president made reference to his followers detained for attacking and vandalizing the headquarters of the three powers on January 8, 2023, against Lula’s inauguration a week earlier.

In his speech, he once again said he was “persecuted”, especially since his term ends in 2022, and once again denied involvement in the coup plot. “What is the shock? Tanks, weapons, conspiracy on the streets. “Nothing like this happened in Brazil,” he said.

Police launched Operation Tempus Veritatis (Time of Truth, in Latin) on 8 February against Bolsonaro and several of his associates, including some of his former ministers. There were raids, arrests, and they were prevented from leaving Brazil. Investigators believe the suspects planned to discredit the electronic voting system before the election and then prepare a failed coup against the new government. Bolsonaro remained silent when questioned by police on Thursday.

“Bolsonaro is an honest man (…) It is important to support him, because he represents God, country and family,” said Wilson Aseca, a 63-year-old builder who traveled about 700 kilometers from the neighboring state of Minas Gerais. , told AFP … to participate in the event.

However, Bolsonaro will remain opposition leader in the election Disqualified from participating in elections till 2030 To criticize electronic ballot boxes without evidence.

Sao Paulo governor and ally Tarcisio de Freitas said in a speech that the former president “represents a movement” of people who fight “for family, homeland and freedom.” Mayor of Megalopolis Ricardo Nunes also participated in the march. Influential evangelical pastor Silas Malafia criticized the Supreme Federal Court and Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading the investigation against Bolsonaro. He said, “If they stop him, he will grow up and emerge (…) Jair Messias Bolsonaro is the greatest political oppressor in our history.”

Glacy Hoffmann, president of Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT), wrote

Bolsonaro has faced several investigations since leaving power. For example, he was accused of inciting a riot in Brasília in 2023.

Most protesters on Paulista Avenue complied with the former president’s slogan, calling for the use of the colors of the Brazilian flag, which he sought to appropriate during his tenure. Furthermore, he requested that they not carry banners or flags criticizing them. Bolsonaro also called for demonstrations not to take place in other cities across the country, drawing supporters from other states to Sao Paulo.

Following controversial statements by Lula in which he compared Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to genocide, Bolsonaro and his followers showed their support for the Jewish state. The former president had kept the Israeli flag in a box on a truck. “Brazilians don’t agree with Lula’s statements about Israel,” Edivan Batista Borges, a 43-year-old insurance salesman with an Israeli badge on his back, told AFP.