Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro demand a military coup outside of an army building in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on November 2, 2022. (Photo: Silvio Avila/AFP via Getty Images)
Nov 02, 2022
A huge crowd of defeated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's supporters rallied outside one of the national army's headquarters on Wednesday to demand a military coup to nullify the right-wing incumbent's loss and prevent President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power.
The Associated Pressreported that thousands attended the rally, where Bolsonaro loyalists chanted "Armed forces, save Brazil!" and carried signs demanding a "federal intervention" following the president's narrow defeat in Sunday's runoff election.
The demonstration came a day after Bolsonaro, in his first public remarks since his defeat in Sunday's contest, refused to directly concede defeat but pledged to "follow all the commandments of our constitution," a signal that he would allow the presidential transition to move forward.
\u201cBolsonaro supporters have gathered in front of the headquarter of the Brazilian Army\u2019s Eastern Command in Rio de Janeiro, asking the military intervene following the presidential election.\n\n\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7\u201d— Visegr\u00e1d 24 (@Visegr\u00e1d 24) 1667409775
In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has repeatedly and baselessly warned of election fraud and hinted that he would not willingly leave office, in some cases invoking support among Brazil's military.
"The army is on our side," Bolsonaro said during a July campaign event.
But AP noted that while "the military has taken on an ample role under Bolsonaro," it "has remained silent in the month since the first round of the election, a sign it is likely distancing itself from the ex-army captain."
Bolsonaro reportedly met with the heads of the Brazilian Navy and Air Force on Tuesday as his supporters wreaked havoc on the nation's streets, setting tires on fire and blocking roads.
During his brief public statement, Bolsonaro said his supporters' actions stemmed from "indignation and a feeling of injustice about how the electoral process played out."
Thomas Traumann, a Brazilian journalist and political analyst, toldThe Guardian on Tuesday that he believes Bolsonaro "is clearly afraid of prison... so what he's trying to do is negotiate with the only card he has left, which is big street protests."
The Guardian noted that "after leaving power Bolsonaro, could find himself exposed to a multitude of possible investigations and charges relating to fake news, anti-democratic behavior, alleged corruption, and his handling of a Covid pandemic which killed nearly 700,000 Brazilians."
"On Tuesday night, Bolsonaro was reportedly locked in talks with at least six members of the supreme court as part of that supposed negotiation," the newspaper reported. "One prominent political journalist, Guilherme Amado, said the president planned to 'request that neither he nor his family be persecuted' once he stepped down."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A huge crowd of defeated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's supporters rallied outside one of the national army's headquarters on Wednesday to demand a military coup to nullify the right-wing incumbent's loss and prevent President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power.
The Associated Pressreported that thousands attended the rally, where Bolsonaro loyalists chanted "Armed forces, save Brazil!" and carried signs demanding a "federal intervention" following the president's narrow defeat in Sunday's runoff election.
The demonstration came a day after Bolsonaro, in his first public remarks since his defeat in Sunday's contest, refused to directly concede defeat but pledged to "follow all the commandments of our constitution," a signal that he would allow the presidential transition to move forward.
\u201cBolsonaro supporters have gathered in front of the headquarter of the Brazilian Army\u2019s Eastern Command in Rio de Janeiro, asking the military intervene following the presidential election.\n\n\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7\u201d— Visegr\u00e1d 24 (@Visegr\u00e1d 24) 1667409775
In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has repeatedly and baselessly warned of election fraud and hinted that he would not willingly leave office, in some cases invoking support among Brazil's military.
"The army is on our side," Bolsonaro said during a July campaign event.
But AP noted that while "the military has taken on an ample role under Bolsonaro," it "has remained silent in the month since the first round of the election, a sign it is likely distancing itself from the ex-army captain."
Bolsonaro reportedly met with the heads of the Brazilian Navy and Air Force on Tuesday as his supporters wreaked havoc on the nation's streets, setting tires on fire and blocking roads.
During his brief public statement, Bolsonaro said his supporters' actions stemmed from "indignation and a feeling of injustice about how the electoral process played out."
Thomas Traumann, a Brazilian journalist and political analyst, toldThe Guardian on Tuesday that he believes Bolsonaro "is clearly afraid of prison... so what he's trying to do is negotiate with the only card he has left, which is big street protests."
The Guardian noted that "after leaving power Bolsonaro, could find himself exposed to a multitude of possible investigations and charges relating to fake news, anti-democratic behavior, alleged corruption, and his handling of a Covid pandemic which killed nearly 700,000 Brazilians."
"On Tuesday night, Bolsonaro was reportedly locked in talks with at least six members of the supreme court as part of that supposed negotiation," the newspaper reported. "One prominent political journalist, Guilherme Amado, said the president planned to 'request that neither he nor his family be persecuted' once he stepped down."
A huge crowd of defeated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's supporters rallied outside one of the national army's headquarters on Wednesday to demand a military coup to nullify the right-wing incumbent's loss and prevent President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power.
The Associated Pressreported that thousands attended the rally, where Bolsonaro loyalists chanted "Armed forces, save Brazil!" and carried signs demanding a "federal intervention" following the president's narrow defeat in Sunday's runoff election.
The demonstration came a day after Bolsonaro, in his first public remarks since his defeat in Sunday's contest, refused to directly concede defeat but pledged to "follow all the commandments of our constitution," a signal that he would allow the presidential transition to move forward.
\u201cBolsonaro supporters have gathered in front of the headquarter of the Brazilian Army\u2019s Eastern Command in Rio de Janeiro, asking the military intervene following the presidential election.\n\n\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7\u201d— Visegr\u00e1d 24 (@Visegr\u00e1d 24) 1667409775
In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has repeatedly and baselessly warned of election fraud and hinted that he would not willingly leave office, in some cases invoking support among Brazil's military.
"The army is on our side," Bolsonaro said during a July campaign event.
But AP noted that while "the military has taken on an ample role under Bolsonaro," it "has remained silent in the month since the first round of the election, a sign it is likely distancing itself from the ex-army captain."
Bolsonaro reportedly met with the heads of the Brazilian Navy and Air Force on Tuesday as his supporters wreaked havoc on the nation's streets, setting tires on fire and blocking roads.
During his brief public statement, Bolsonaro said his supporters' actions stemmed from "indignation and a feeling of injustice about how the electoral process played out."
Thomas Traumann, a Brazilian journalist and political analyst, toldThe Guardian on Tuesday that he believes Bolsonaro "is clearly afraid of prison... so what he's trying to do is negotiate with the only card he has left, which is big street protests."
The Guardian noted that "after leaving power Bolsonaro, could find himself exposed to a multitude of possible investigations and charges relating to fake news, anti-democratic behavior, alleged corruption, and his handling of a Covid pandemic which killed nearly 700,000 Brazilians."
"On Tuesday night, Bolsonaro was reportedly locked in talks with at least six members of the supreme court as part of that supposed negotiation," the newspaper reported. "One prominent political journalist, Guilherme Amado, said the president planned to 'request that neither he nor his family be persecuted' once he stepped down."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.