Left carries out scattered acts against Bolsonaro and without Lula – 03/23/2024 – Power

Left-wing militants began a series of scattered acts in the morning this Saturday (23) to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the military coup and ask that there be no amnesty for coup plotters. The protests target former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is being investigated by the Federal Police in the investigation into an attempted coup.

There are demonstrations scheduled for 22 cities in Brazil and abroad. The morning ones were emptied, with low participation, in capitals such as Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Campo Grande and Recife. The two main ones are scheduled for the afternoon, in Salvador and São Paulo.

In the capital of Minas Gerais, participants who went to the event in Praça Afonso Arinos wore red t-shirts with inscriptions such as “no amnesty”.

In addition to the motto “dictatorship never again”, the defense of Palestine amid the war with Israel is also one of the themes of the acts.

The protesters who went to Praça Santos Andrade, in Curitiba, carried banners such as “democracy always” and “no amnesty for coup plotters”

In Fortaleza, also with the participation of a few dozen protesters, flags of the MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement), unions and PSOL were waved during the morning.

There were also demonstrations in São Luís and in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, which repeated the theme of the demonstrations held in other capitals.

The day of mobilization for democracy is organized by left-wing parties, trade union centrals and the Povo Sem Medo and Brasil Popular fronts, which bring together entities such as MTST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto), CUT (Central Única dos Trabalhadores), CMP (Central de Popular Movements), MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement) and UNE (National Union of Students).

The main event this Saturday will be in Salvador, starting at 3pm, at Largo do Pelourinho, with the presence of leaders of left-wing parties and movements, including Gleisi Hoffmann, from the PT. The event will have a show by Ademario Coelho.

As shown by Sheet, the Lula (PT) government, however, decided not to join the demonstrations. The president must not attend any of the events across the country and must stay in Brasília.

The organizers decided to exclude Bolsonaro’s arrest from the demonstration’s flags, although one of the purposes of the act is to demand the punishment of the former president and his supporters who invaded the three Powers on January 8, 2023. The argument is that the The right to defense and due legal process must be protected, just as Lula was called for in Operation Lava Jato.

Ministers from the PT and other left-wing parties avoid saying that there is a closed position or even an orientation to distance themselves from the acts. On the other hand, they state that they will not attend for various reasons, such as family commitments and illnesses.

To avoid wear and tear on the Armed Forces, Lula prohibited ministries from holding criticism or ceremonies in memory of the 60th anniversary of the military coup, a milestone that will be reached on March 31st.

Meanwhile, leaders of left-wing movements highlighted, throughout the week, the importance of remembering the date to prevent it from happening again. The entities are divided between minimizing the Lula government’s stance or criticizing the president for the veto.

The rejection of amnesty displayed on the streets this Saturday comes after Bolsonaro gathered thousands on Avenida Paulista, on the 25th, and gave a speech in which he used the well-known aggression against the STF (Supreme Federal Court), said he seeks the pacification of the country and asked for amnesty for those arrested for the coup attack on January 8, 2023.

To avoid comparing audiences between the Bolsonarist act and this Saturday’s protests, the organizers sought to avoid the same pattern — they chose Largo São Francisco, in São Paulo, instead of Avenida Paulista, spread the events across the country and concentrated their efforts in Salvador , where Lula had more than 70% of the votes against Bolsonaro in 2022.

Government distancing, in this sense, serves several purposes. In addition to not being critical of the military dictatorship, the Palácio do Planalto avoids sharing responsibility in the event of a possible low turnout and seeks to oppose the style of Bolsonaro, who, as president, committed himself to summoning supporters in street events that targeted others Powers.

With one year and three months of government, Lula sees his approval technically tied with the rejection in Datafolha. 35% consider the PT member’s work to be excellent or good, compared to 33% who evaluate it as bad or terrible and 30% as regular.

In relation to the previous survey, carried out at the beginning of December, the fluctuations show a negative scenario for the president.