Protesters in Brazil demand Bolsonaro's impeachment

RIO DE JANEIRO - Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets around the country Saturday, once again calling for the ouster of unpopular President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues. 

Large crowds gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and dozens of other towns and cities as part of the "Bolsonaro Out National Campaign," which is backed by a dozen left-wing political parties and labor groups.

Among other issues, the right-wing president has come under stinging criticism for his handling of the pandemic, which has claimed nearly 600,000 lives here.

Hundreds of people marched through the central Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Candelaria, shouting "Bolsonaro out!" which was also emblazoned on several large banners. 

"We're going to get him out. The hope of the people here in the streets is to put pressure on legislators so that they call for impeachment," 69-year-old retired professor Elizabeth Simoes told AFP. 

More than 100 requests for the impeachment of Bolsonaro have been filed with the Chamber of Deputies, but its leader Arthur Lira, a government ally, has refused to take any of them up. 

The Supreme Court has ordered several investigations into Bolsonaro and his aides, including for spreading false information.

In Sao Paulo, tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday afternoon on the central Paulista Avenue, including former cabinet minister Ciro Gomes.

"Bolsonaro is destroying the national economy," said the center-left politician, calling for unity. "He fills Brazil with shame abroad and is responsible for the death of almost 600,000 Brazilians" from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators gathered along the Esplanade of Ministries in Brasilia.

Local media counted protests in 24 of Brazil's 27 states, and in 84 cities, including 14 state capitals.

Red flags of the Workers' Party of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or Lula, could be seen Saturday, along with Brazilian flags and the signs of several other left-wing and centrist parties often seen at protests against the far-right Bolsonaro.

- 'Can't stand this government' -

In recent months, protests led by leftist movements have demanded Bolsonaro's impeachment due to his mismanagement of the pandemic. But Saturday's demonstrations were also against a hike in food and fuel prices, as well as for relief for the 14.1 million unemployed people throughout the country.

"The population is going hungry, and we can't stand this government any longer," said Isadora Lessa, 22, in Rio.

"What is the importance of being here? That he knows he doesn't have unanimity, that he's going to have a hard time getting elected again," said Marcelo Werneck, who joined the protests in Rio in memory of the "friends and family" who died of COVID-19.

"If he doesn't face an impeachment, he loses the election in 2022," Werneck added.

Besieged by judicial investigations and the economic crisis, Bolsonaro's popularity has plummeted in recent months to 22 percent, its lowest level since he took office in January 2019.

But backers of the president have also made themselves known in recent weeks, as around 125,000 of them gathered in Brasilia and Sao Paulo September 7 in a show of support for Bolsonaro. 

A mid-September opinion poll by the Datafolha Institute found that Bolsonaro has 26 percent support compared with Lula's 44 percent, just one year ahead of the presidential vote. 

Agence France-Presse

Brazil braces for fresh protests

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil braced for more mass protests Sunday a day after a poll showed most people back demands for improvements to crumbling public services and for wide-ranging institutional reform.

Under normal circumstances, Brazilians would be celebrating their football team reaching the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, a dress rehearsal for next year's World Cup, which the country has not hosted since 1950.

But these are not normal circumstances and even after the 'Selecao', five-time world champions, defeated Italy to keep up their perfect record at this year's tournament, there were huge protests in more than 100 cities.

Most protesters are not convinced by a Friday pledge from President Dilma Rousseff to improve shoddy public services and fight harder against rampant corruption -- the main grudges of the street protesters.

A poll Saturday by the Ibope polling agency showed three quarters of Brazilians back the wave of protests against poor public services and corruption, with 77 percent citing the high cost of using public transport as the key reason for their dissatisfaction.

But two-thirds were overall in favour of hosting the World Cup, despite anger at the billions of dollars the event is costing, money many feel could be better spent on education, transport and housing.

Sunday was set to see renewed protests in Rio de Janeiro, where around 300,000 people turned out for a Thursday protest which saw sporadic violence.

The 'Día de Basta' urged people to gather at the city's famed Copacabana beach while scores of messages on Twitter and Facebook called for strikes on Thursday.

The wave of protests began on June 11 when residents of Sao Paulo took to the streets to denounce an increase in public transport fares.

Unrest quickly spread on the eve of the Confederations Cup and the entire country has become engulfed in protest as Brazilians declare the time has come to "wake up" and fight sloppy and corrupt government, and lousy public services like schools, health care and public transport.

By June 17, more than 200,000 people were in the streets and by Saturday their ranks had swelled to some 1.5 million.

Saturday saw dozens of arrests and some 20 people were reported injured, including five police officers, after more than 70,000 people chanting "The Cup for whom?" rallied in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte.

Brazil are due to play their semifinal in the same city on Wednesday.

Police fired tear gas in an attempt to quell Saturday's unrest after some protesters hurled stones and tried to break through the security perimeter around Belo Horizonte's Mineirao stadium while some shops and banks were looted.

Although demonstrations were much smaller in Salvador, where Brazil beat Italy, some fans in the stadium made their feelings plain by brandishing placards proclaiming: "Let's go to the streets to change Brazil."

With the mass unrest placing Brazil squarely in the global public eye Brazilian media on Sunday sought to explain the rationale for the popular uprising.

"Brazil in the streets - Disillusioned youth," was the headline in O Globo daily.

In an interview with the paper French sociologist Michel Maffesoli said the spark for the protests may have been seemingly trivial at the outset - a 20 cents rise in bus fares.

But, noting the outpouring of "collective emotion," Maffesoli said that "young people do not recognise where they fit into the (government) programme."

Drawing a parallel with popular protests in France at the end of the 1960s, he added: "I see these movements as a postmodern version of May 1968," where popular revolts initially by students demanding university reform ultimately led to a general strike.

source: interaksyon.com