On Sunday, thousands of Brazilians protested in the streets of São Paulo after former President Jair Bolsonaro called for a show of support as he faces coup allegations.
Bolsonaro has claimed he has been the target of political persecution since stepping down from government over a year ago.
Thousands of Brazilians Rally to Support Bolsonaro
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro waves to supporters before the Agrishow fair in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 30, 2023.
According to France 24, Bolsonaro's supporters flocked to Paulista Avenue, one of the main arteries in the country's economic capital. Most of them were dressed in the green and yellow of the Brazilian flag, which Bolsonaro called a symbol while in office.
Bolsonaro arrived waving the Israeli flag in protest of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's comments comparing Israel's offensive in Gaza to the Holocaust before putting his hand to his chest for the national anthem.
The 68-year-old former army officer had asked his supporters to attend a "peaceful rally in defense of the democratic rule of law" in the economic capital São Paulo, which the organizers believe would gather at least 500,000 people.
Police have seized Bolsonaro's passport as they investigate him and his inner circle's intentions to try to remain in power after he lost the 2022 elections to Lula. He is still banned from running for office for eight years.
On Thursday, Bolsonaro denied the accusations and refused to respond to queries during a half-hour interrogation at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia.
Builder Wilson Aseka, who traveled 700 kilometers (430 miles) from Minas Gerais to attend the protest, said, "Bolsonaro is an honest person, a victim of persecution."
Aseka noted that it is important to support him because he represents God, country, and family while reiterating Bolsonaro's motto with a Brazilian flag hanging on his shoulders.
Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and Supreme Court a week after Lula took office on January 1, 2023, calling for military intervention to reverse a stolen election.
Furthermore, Bolsonaro, who was in the US then, denied involvement and even suggested that the protesters were not his supporters.
However, investigators claimed that Bolsonaro engaged in months of anti-democratic activities, starting with a plot to undermine Brazil's electronic voting system by launching a "disinformation" campaign ahead of the elections to "legitimize a military intervention" if he lost.
Police reported that Bolsonaro revised a draft presidential decree that would have imposed new elections, declared a state of emergency, and ordered the arrest of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the head of Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal.
They also released a video of a July 2022 meeting in which Bolsonaro ordered cabinet ministers to assist him discredit the election system.
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Bolsonaro Breaks Silence On Election Defeat
On Friday, Bolsonaro spoke out for the first time since he lost in the October 30 election. He spoke to supporters and advocated for a military coup to prevent the leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from becoming the next president.
Bolsonaro said he had kept silent for almost 40 days, adding, "It hurts my soul."
In his ambiguous comments, Bolsonaro declared that the armed forces would uphold Brazil's Constitution but did not support their demand for a military intervention.
Related Article: Bolsonaro Coup Probe Undermines Power of Brazil's Right-Wing
