RIO DE JANEIRO: Tens of thousands of Brazilians protested on Sunday against lawmakers seeking an amnesty that could benefit former president Jair Bolsonaro while shielding themselves from criminal charges.
Bolsonaro was sentenced last week to 27 years in jail for plotting a coup, prompting the conservative-majority Congress to fast-track an amnesty bill that might include the far-right leader.
Crowds roared “No amnesty” in dozens of Brazilian cities while holding signs and wearing stickers reading “Shameless Congress”.
Protesters expressed outrage at the recently passed “Banditry Bill”, which requires Congress to vote by secret ballot before charging or arresting one of its members.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva celebrated the protests on Instagram by stating his support for the Brazilian people and their rejection of impunity.
Tens of thousands attended a musical protest on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach despite sweltering heat conditions.
Giovana Araujo, a 27-year-old psychology student, described the protection lawmakers seek as camouflage for corruption and impunity.
Renowned Brazilian musicians Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Chico Buarque performed resistance songs from Brazil’s dictatorship era on a truck-mounted stage.
Crowds sang along as an inflatable Bolsonaro doll wearing prison stripes floated beside one depicting US President Donald Trump.
Veloso stated that musicians could not fail to respond to the horrors creeping in around Brazilian society.
Araujo described the artists’ appearance as revolutionary since they were literally boycotted during the military dictatorship.
Yasmin Aimee Coelho Pessoa, a 20-year-old sociology student, noted that artists were once again mobilizing people to demand justice.
Protesters in Sao Paulo unfurled a giant Brazilian flag in response to a US flag displayed at a pro-Bolsonaro march earlier this month.
The Political Debate Monitor at the University of Sao Paulo estimated crowds of 42,000 in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, representing the largest left-wing turnout since Lula’s 2022 reelection.
Lula’s razor-thin victory triggered political crises that continue to reverberate throughout Brazil today.
Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting to prevent Lula from taking office, a plan judges said only failed due to lack of military support.
Congress is pushing to offer amnesty to 700 Bolsonaro supporters convicted of storming government buildings shortly after Lula took office in January 2023.
Lawmakers passed the immunity bill citing protection against judicial overreach, further stoking public anger.
Henrique Marques, a 42-year-old environmental engineer protesting in Brasilia, said the left is reorganizing against these atrocities.
Several deputies apologized on social media for voting for the controversial “Shielding Bill”, claiming they faced pressure in a fragmented parliament.
State deputy Pedro Campos said he voted for the bill to prevent the boycott of important government agendas.
Both bills face an uphill battle in the Senate, with Lula vowing to veto the amnesty bill.
Lula also stated that the “Shielding Bill” was not the kind of serious matter lawmakers should be addressing. – AFP