Bolsonaro and opposition criticize Lula’s event on 8/1

Former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and opposition parliamentarians criticized the event held by the Lula government to mark one year since the events of January 8th. Bolsonaro said that the invasion and depredation of the headquarters of the Three Powers was not an attempted coup d’état. For the former president, the decisions of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) against people accused of involvement in acts of vandalism are “absurd”.

“There will be an event on the 8th to celebrate Democracy Day. For the love of God… Lula’s PT defends [Nicolás] Maduro, Nicaragua that expels nuns, whose PCdoB satellite has relations with North Korea. This government that says that Israel committed absurdities against Hamas. It does not recognize Hamas as terrorists. Is this guy a Democrat?” said Bolsonaro in an interview with CNN Brazil released this Monday (8).

“Not even a drug dealer [está] getting 17 years in prison. What nonsense is this? What democracy do we live in? How long will you stay quiet? With these decisions, they threw a bucket of cold water on the street movements,” he added.

The “Unshaken Democracy” event was attended by the presidents of the Senate and Congress, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), the Federal Supreme Court (STF), minister Luís Roberto Barroso, and the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), minister Alexandre de Moraes.

Everyone defended punishments for those involved in the “coup acts”. Furthermore, Lula criticized politicians who question the security of the electronic voting machine. Without mentioning former president Jair Bolsonaro by name, the PT member said that “people who doubt the elections and the legality of the Brazilian ballot box, because they lost the elections, why don’t they ask their party to resign with all the deputies and senators who were elected ? His three sons were elected, why don’t they resign in protest against the fraudulent ballot box?”, he asked.

Bolsonaro highlighted that there was vandalism, but not an attempted coup on January 8, 2023. “There was vandalism, yes. Some exaggerated, but that type of sentence, 17 years in prison, was not for them,” he said. Bolsonaro is the target of an investigation by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) that investigates the alleged intellectual authorship of the acts of vandalism. The former president denies involvement.

“In order for there to be an attempt [de golpe], there had to be a person at the front. Everything that was investigated did not raise any names. These are assumptions. Who is going to attack old people, elderly people with a Bible under their arm, a flag in the other hand, ordinary people, cotton candy sellers, Uber drivers, minors, children? Who is going to carry out a coup in this sense?” asked the former president.

Bolsonaro family spoke out on social media about 8/1

Federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) posted on Sunday (7) about the January 8th CPMI carried out by Congress. He stated that the Minister of Justice, Flavio Dino, “did not give the images” of the acts to the commission. He also accused the Lula government of paying up to R$60 million for deputies to withdraw signatures from the CPMI. Despite the accusation, he did not present evidence. “No shots fired, no weapons seized. What scam is this?” asked the deputy in social network.

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) minimized the acts of vandalism. “’Golpi’ [sic] no shots, no weapons, no leader, with elderly people, children and lots of Bibles! They try absolutely everything to wear down Bolsonaro, but they only make him even stronger on the streets of Brazil! Meanwhile, Lula, the popular and vote-winning leader, can only have a cachacinha on the beach, if it is reserved just for him”, said the senator this Sunday (7) in the social media.

Councilor Carlos Bolsonaro (Republicanos-RJ) stated that “Lula and the PT have nothing positive to show, all they have left is the story of the coup, as Temer, the entire Congress and the Judiciary also routinely accuse”. “Against him is enormous popular rejection and never walking among the people, among other things. Lula takes to the streets, does like Bolsonaro, show his popularity, with his 60 million voters,” he added.

Opposition highlights authoritarian tone of 8/1 act

Also on social media, parliamentarians and influencers opposing the Lula government criticized the tone of the speeches made by STF ministers and members of the Executive during the “Unshaken Democracy” event.

In a post on Twitter, the leader of the opposition in the Chamber of Deputies, deputy Carlos Jordy (PL-RJ), stated that speeches by 20th century dictators are less aggressive than what was witnessed during the ceremony this Monday (8) . “I have seen speeches by Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin that are much milder and more peaceful than those of “unshaken democracy”, said the parliamentarian.

The deputy leader of the opposition, deputy Maurício Marcon (Podemos-RS), also mocked the fact that Lula spoke about democracy and was an ally of South American dictators, such as Nicolás Maduro, from Venezuela; Daniel Ortega, from Nicaragua; and Miguel Díaz-Canel, from Cuba. “Does anyone know if the “democrats” and friends of Lula, Maduro, Ortega and Canel, the dictators of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, respectively, will be present at the event in “defense of democracy”?”, said the deputy.

For the former head of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government, Fabio Wajngarten, the speeches given in the Black Room of Congress are “empty narratives”. He also repudiated the acts of vandalism that occurred last year. “The acts of 8/1 deserve absolute repudiation and those responsible for the depredations deserve trials in accordance with the law. What I witnessed today were political acts, empty narratives, persecutory scripts, an opportunistic retrospective of a Government that lives from the distant past. I learned that politics is cyclical. Remember this. The people don’t forgive,” said Wajngarten, who is one of Bolsonaro’s lawyers.

Parliamentarians classify the “Unshaken Democracy” act as a PT stage

Other opposition deputies also criticized the event and classified it as a “PT political platform”. Because he was summoned by the federal government, oppositionists decided to leave so as not to corroborate the PT narrative that there was an attempted coup.

“This event was a political platform for the PT, which loves to use other people’s tragedies to victimize itself. This is a good date to remember our political prisoners, who did not have the right to due legal process respected”, said federal deputy Rodrigo Valadares (União-SE).

In the same vein, federal deputy Sergeant Gonçalves (PL-RN) said there was arbitrariness in the arrests of those involved on January 8th. “To this day we have patriots in prison who did not have their rights guaranteed, which even led to the death of Clezão. Therefore, it is very sad to see Lula proselytizing politics with this”, declared Gonçalves.

Representative Rodolfo Nogueira (PL-MS) called the ceremony “theater” and congratulated the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, for not participating. “I want to congratulate President Lira for not being part of this theater that the Lula government created once again,” said Nogueira.

Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), leader of the party in the Senate, criticized the event called by the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the National Congress and stated that he would not be “part of this theater”. “It’s sad to see Congress become a stage for injustice when even images of 8/1 were denied to its members. Paz & Bem”, said Girão on social media.

Zema receives criticism for announcing participation and cancels going to Lula’s event

By confirming that he would go to the event called by Lula, governor Romeu Zema (Novo), of Minas Gerais, entered the opposition’s sights this Monday. However, after the negative repercussions, the Minas Gerais governor withdrew from attending the event. Of the 27 governors, 15 did not attend the event.

On “X”, formerly Twitter, Marcon criticized the governor and recalled the decisions taken by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), against the 8/1 protesters. “Zema made a mistake in participating in the theater that will take place today in Brasília, a huge and indefensible political error. Dozens if not hundreds of people were or are arrested or suffering unfair persecution as a result of 01/08, one even died in jail due to Alexandre’s negligence de Moraes. I hope the excellent governor reviews his participation”, said the parliamentarian.

The head of the Minas Gerais Executive was also criticized by right-wing influencers, such as Bárbara, from the Te Atualizei channel. “Zema, we won’t forget,” said the YouTuber. Lawyer Fabiana Barroso also commented on the governor’s attitude. “Zema being Zema, no surprises,” she said.

In a press release, Novo’s press office stated that the governor of MG was “advised against” attending.
“Although the communications department of the governor of Minas Gerais confirmed the presence of Romeu Zema at the “Unshaken Democracy” event, the governor was advised against it by leaders of the Novo party and decided that he will no longer attend the agenda promoted by the heads of the three Powers of the Republic related to the acts of January 8, 2023 in Brasília”, said the caption in Note.

Shortly afterwards, Zema posted a video on social media stating that he was in Brasília to deal with the state’s debt with the Union. He confirmed the invitation made by Planalto, but stated that he withdrew after learning that the event would be a political act.

“I was supposed to go to an institutional event in Congress, but unfortunately I received information that it turned into a political event and I will no longer go. I am completely in favor of democracy. Those who committed vandalism need to be punished. And Brazil needs to depend less on politics and more on management to solve its problems”, said the governor.

Michelle Bolsonaro and opposition remember Clezão’s death

Former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro and opposition parliamentarians paid tribute, this Monday (8), to Cleriston Pereira da Cunha, who died at the Papuda Penitentiary Complex, in Brasília, on November 20. Michelle released an image of Cleriston’s face and the caption “Patriota Clezão”, with the businessman’s birth and death date.

Clezão had been in prison since January 8th and had a “sudden illness” while sunbathing. With a delicate clinical condition, Cleriston had obtained a favorable opinion from the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) for his release at the end of August. All that was left was for Alexandre de Moraes, from the Federal Supreme Court (STF), to analyze the document and proceed with provisional release – which did not happen.

“While they call for an imaginary coup, without a leader, without weapons and without organization, this family deals with infinite pain. Clezão will never be able to return home. We cannot allow this enormous loss to be forgotten. No narrative should override the harsh reality of the death of a political prisoner before our own eyes”, said federal deputy Júlia Zanatta (PL-RS).

Former federal deputy Deltan Dallagnol (Novo-PR) recalled the people who are preventively detained, without having been tried, and criticized Moraes for the situation. “One year after January 8, 65 people are in pre-trial detention without being tried; only 33 were reported by the PGR, so that 32 people have been ARRESTED for a year WITHOUT COMPLAINT, according to a CNN survey,” he said.

And he added: “Minister Alexandre de Moraes continues to state that the arrest of these people is necessary to guarantee public order and the end of crimes, in addition to avoiding interference in investigations, but neither he nor the PGR explain in detail and specifically how these people could, one year after January 8th, try again to carry out a coup d’état or violently abolish the Democratic Rule of Law”.