Barroso says he referred to “coup extremism” when attacking “bolsonarismo”

Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, of the Federal Supreme Court, said in a note, this Thursday (13), that when using the expression “we defeated Bolsonarism”, he was referring to “the coup-mongering and violent extremism that manifested itself on January 8 and which corresponds to a minority”.

“I never intended to offend the former President’s 58 million voters or to criticize a conservative and democratic worldview, which is perfectly legitimate. I have the greatest respect for all voters and for all democratic politicians, whether they are conservative, liberal or progressive”, said the magistrate, in a new note released by the STF.

Earlier, the Court, in an official note, came out in defense of the minister, saying, however, that he was referring to the “popular vote and not to the performance of any institution”. In the new note, signed by Barroso himself, he does not mention a popular vote. At the time of his speech, at the UNE Congress, this Wednesday (12) in Brasilia, he also did not use the expression.

“We defeated censorship, we defeated torture, we defeated Bolsonarism, to allow democracy and the free manifestation of all people”, he said. Before, he was booed by students who criticized him for having suspended, in September last year, the law that established a nursing salary floor. “I’ve already faced the dictatorship and I’ve already faced Bolsonarism… I’m not worried. And more than that, I was the one who got the nursing money, because I didn’t have any money, ”he said in another moment of the boos.

Barroso’s statement motivated parliamentarians linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro to announce a new request for impeachment. The law states that it is a crime under the responsibility of a minister to engage in party-political activity and act in a way that is incompatible with the honor, dignity and decorum of his duties.

Earlier, questioned about the statement, the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, who is responsible for opening requests for the impeachment of ministers, said that Barroso’s speech “was very inappropriate, inopportune and unfortunate” and that he should ask for a retraction. Anyway, he didn’t talk about impeachment.

“The political arena is resolved with political manifestations and with the political action of political subjects. A minister of the Federal Supreme Court, evidently, must stick to his constitutional fulfillment of judging what is demanded. The minister’s presence, at an event of a political nature, with a speech of a political nature, is something that I consider unfortunate, inappropriate and inopportune. And what I hope is that there is, on the part of Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, a reflection in relation to this and eventually a retraction”.