Backers Of Brazil's Bolsonaro Hold Mass Protest In Sao Paulo
Thousands of people streamed into central Sao Paulo for a demonstration Sunday called by Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who is seeking "justice" as he faces decades in prison for allegedly attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election.
"Brazil needs all of us. It's for freedom, for justice," the far-right Bolsonaro said on social media, urging his backers to march along Paulista Avenue, a key thoroughfare in South America's largest metropolis.
By mid-day Sunday he posted the phrases "Brazil above all! God above all!" along with a photograph showing him before a throng of people clad in green and yellow, the colors of the Brazilian flag.
The demonstration follows a hectic several weeks for the embattled ex-leader.
During a key phase in his Supreme Court trial earlier this month, he denied involvement in an alleged coup plot to wrest back power after leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly beat him at the ballot box in October 2022.
The prosecutor's office said the plot, which envisaged the assassination of Lula and other authorities, failed to materialize due to lack of support from the senior military command.
Brazil's police have also called for Bolsonaro to be separately charged with illegal espionage while president, along with his son.
Bolsonaro, 70, has rejected any wrongdoing, claiming the various cases against him are politically motivated judicial hounding aimed at preventing him from making a comeback in the 2026 elections.
The former army captain dreams of emulating Donald Trump's return to the White House, despite being banned from holding public office until 2030 over his attacks on Brazil's electronic voting system.
A protestor who called himself Julinho Lionheart pointed to Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes -- an arch-foe of Bolsonaro whom the former president has described as a "dictator" -- as an unelected official with extreme power to impose unequal justice in Brazil.
"Alexandre de Moraes is a psychopath, he has destroyed the constitution, the protester told AFP.
Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas said he would attend the march and urged others to join.
"We need to talk about freedom... we are going to promote peace," he said.
De Freitas, a former Bolsonaro minister, is a top candidate to represent the conservatives in the 2026 presidential election.
Some bystanders were unimpressed by the pro-Bolsonaro protest.
"This demonstration is nonsense," said Dionisio Teixeira, a record seller on Paulista Avenue, which on Sundays is transformed into a large pedestrian thoroughfare.
"This guy (Bolsonaro), who wanted to blow up Brasilia and kill his political opponent, should go to prison. I don't know how people can still come here to defend him."
Bolsonaro has called for several protests throughout his legal saga, but attendance appears to have declined in recent months.
According to estimates by the University of Sao Paulo, about 45,000 people participated in the march on Paulista Avenue in April, almost four times fewer than in February.
Some of Sunday's protesters held signs reading "Amnesty now," referring to the people convicted for the events of January 8, 2023, in Brasilia.
On that day thousands of Bolsonarists took over power centers in the Brazilian capital and demanded a military intervention to oust Lula from power one week after his inauguration. Supporters of Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro hold a banner reading 'Amnesty now' during a rally in Sao Paulo in support of the embattled former leader AFP Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro stands accused of seeking to overthrow the government of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
33 minutes ago
- Int'l Business Times
Over 230,000 Afghans Left Iran In June Ahead Of Return Deadline: IOM
More than 230,000 Afghans left Iran in June, most of them deported, as returns surge ahead of a deadline set by Tehran, the United Nations migration agency said on Monday. The number of returns from Iran rose dramatically in recent weeks. Afghans have reported increased deportations ahead of the July 6 deadline announced by Iran for undocumented Afghans to leave the country. From June 1-28, 233,941 people returned from Iran to Afghanistan, International Organization for Migration spokesman Avand Azeez Agha told AFP, with 131,912 returns recorded in the week of June 21-28 alone. Since January, "691,049 people have returned, 70 percent of whom were forcibly sent back", he added. For several days last week, the number reached 30,000 per day, the IOM said, with numbers expected to increase ahead of the deadline. Afghans spilled into an IOM-run reception centre out of buses arriving back-to-back at the Islam Qala border point in western Afghanistan's Herat province on Saturday. The recent returns have been marked by a sharp increase in the number of families instead of individuals, the UN said, with men, women and children lugging suitcases carrying all their belongings. Many have few assets and few prospects for work, with Afghanistan facing entrenched poverty and steep unemployment. The country is four years into a fragile recovery from decades of war under Taliban authorities, who have called for a "dignified" return of migrants and refugees from neighbouring countries. Kabul's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi raised the Taliban government's concerns in a meeting with Iran's ambassador, according to a statement, saying: "A coordinated mechanism should be put in place for the gradual return of migrants." The cash-strapped government faces challenges in integrating the influx of returnees, which has piled on to hundreds of thousands also forced out in recent years from Pakistan -- another traditional host of Afghans fleeing conflict and humanitarian crises. Severe international aid cuts have also hamstrung UN and NGO responses, with the IOM saying it was "only able to assist a fraction of those in need". "On some high-volume days, such as recently at Islam Qala, assistance reached as few as three percent of undocumented returnees," it said in a recent statement. Returnees AFP spoke to in recent days at the border cited mounting pressure by Iranian authorities and increased deportations, with none pointing to the recent Iran-Israel conflict as a spur to leave the country. However, "regional instability -- particularly the fallout from the Israel-Iran conflict -- and shifting host country policies have accelerated returns, overwhelming Afghanistan's already fragile humanitarian and development systems", the UN mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, said in a statement. Samiullah Ahmadi, 28, was seeing his country of origin for the first time when he crossed the border. Unsure of what he would do once he reached the Afghan capital Kabul with his family, he was defiant in response to the pressures to return. "I was born there (Iran). But the situation for Afghans is such that no matter how good you are or even if you have valid documents, they still don't treat you with respect." Afghans have reported increased deportations ahead of the July 6 deadline announced by Iran for undocumented Afghans to leave the country AFP Taliban security personnel look on as Afghan refugees arrive at the Islam Qala border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran AFP
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
China's Top Diplomat Visits Europe Pitching Closer Ties In 'Volatile' World
China's top diplomat heads to Europe on Monday for a visit which Beijing said will highlight ties as an "anchor of stability" in a world in turmoil. Wang Yi's tour will take him to the European Union's headquarters in Brussels as well as France and Germany as China seeks to improve relations with the bloc as a counterweight to superpower rival the United States. But deep frictions remain over the economy -- including a yawning trade deficit of $357.1 billion between China and the EU -- and Beijing's close ties with Russia despite Moscow's war in Ukraine. "The world is undergoing an accelerated evolution of a century-old change, with unilateralism, protectionism and bullying behaviour becoming rampant," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday -- a thinly veiled swipe against the United States under President Donald Trump. In that context, Guo said, Beijing and the European bloc must "keep the world peaceful and stable, safeguard multilateralism, free trade, international rules, fairness and justice, and act firmly as anchors of stability and constructive forces in a volatile world". Wang will meet with his EU counterpart, Kaja Kallas, at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels for "high-level strategic dialogue". In Germany, he will hold talks with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on diplomacy and security -- his first visit since Berlin's new conservative-led government took power in May. And in France, Wang will meet minister for Europe and foreign affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, who visited China in March. The war in Ukraine will likely be high on the agenda, with European leaders having been forthright in condemning what they say is Beijing's backing for Moscow. China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia's more than three-year war with Ukraine. But Western governments say Beijing's close ties have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support, and they have urged China to do more to press Russia to end the war. Ties between Europe and China have also strained in recent years as the EU seeks to get tougher on what it says are unfair economic practices by Beijing. After the European bloc placed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, China retaliated with its own duties, including on French cognac. An agreement on cognac has been reached with Beijing but not formally approved by the Chinese commerce ministry, a source in the French economy ministry told AFP. The source said finalization was partially linked with the EU's ongoing negotiations over EVs. Tensions flared this month after the EU banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than five million euros ($5.8 million), in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market. The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covered a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth 150 billion euros in the EU. In response, China accused the European Union of "double standards". Another sticking point has been rare earths. Beijing has since April required licences to export these strategic materials from China, which accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. The metals are used in a wide variety of products, including electric car batteries, and there has been criticism from industries about the way China's licences have been issued. China has proposed establishing a "green channel" to ease the export of rare earths to the EU, its commerce ministry said this month.
Int'l Business Times
9 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Togo Groups Say Recent Protests Left 7 Dead
At least seven people were killed and many others wounded during recent anti-government protests in the Togolese capital Lome, according to an initial count civic groups gave journalists Sunday. Campaigning groups and rights organisations denounced "abuses committed by members of the Togolese security forces and militias", and said seven bodies had been recovered from rivers in the capital. They also reported "dozens of wounded" and "more than 60 arrests during the three days of demonstrations held from Thursday to Saturday. The Togolese authorities, who have yet to provide an official toll from the recent protests, on Sunday denied the deaths were linked to the unrest. "Forensic analysis revealed that these deaths occurred as a result of drowning," the government said in a statement, without commenting on the number of bodies recovered. "I would like to congratulate our fellow citizens for their good behaviour and also the professionalism of our security forces, and above all, to reassure them that the government will take all necessary measures to protect Togolese citizens," Hodabalo Awate, minister of territorial administration, said on state television Sunday evening. Earlier, David Dosseh of "Front Citoyen Togo Debout" told AFP that "we are in a country where citizens still have the right to go out, to express themselves." "They should not face this state-imposed brutality, it is unacceptable," he added. "We are not animals, we are sons of this country, and as sons and citizens of this country, the Constitution gives us the right to express ourselves and to demonstrate peacefully." Protests are rare in Togo, where President Faure Gnassingbe has maintained his grip on power since 2005, succeeding his father who ruled for nearly four decades. But on Thursday morning, small pockets of up to dozens of protesters blocked streets, burned tyres and wooden barricades in the capital, where many businesses remained closed. People have been protesting against a crackdown on critical voices, rising electricity prices and a constitutional reform that allowed Gnassingbe, now 59, to further consolidate his power. On June 5 and 6, police arrested about 50 protesters, mainly young people. Most have since been released but Amnesty International has denounced cases of alleged "torture". The government responded that it had not been officially informed of such abuses and condemned protesters' "clear will to sow disorder and chaos". In mid-June, Togo blocked France 24 television and Radio France Internationale for three months, accusing the outlets of having relayed "inaccurate and biased statements" following the early June protests.
