©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro leaves the federal police headquarters after testifying about the January 8 riots, in Brasilia, Brazil, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo
By Leonardo Benassatto, Lais Morais and Ricardo Brito
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gathered thousands of supporters on Sao Paulo’s iconic Paulista Avenue on Sunday to demonstrate political strength amid investigations that many believe could land him in prison.
The far-right former president, who called the rally after being targeted in a raid earlier this month by police investigating an alleged coup attempt, spoke for about 20 minutes to defend himself as he recalled his 2019-2022 mandate.
He refrained from attacking old enemies and the Supreme Court. Allies expressed concern before the event that any remarks against Brazilian authorities or institutions could put him in even hotter water.
Bolsonaro had his passport confiscated and was accused of modifying a draft decree to overturn the election results, of pressuring military leaders to join a coup attempt, and of plotting to jail a judge of the Supreme Court after his electoral defeat against leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2022.
Supporters of Bolsonaro, a populist often compared to former US President Donald Trump, invaded and ransacked Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress calling for a military coup on January 8, 2023, a week after Lula’s settlement.
Bolsonaro denied the allegations on Sunday and said he was “persecuted”, adding that the draft decree is based on the Constitution. She also called for amnesty for people who took part in the January 8 uprising.
“A coup means putting tanks in the streets, weapons, conspiracy. This did not happen in Brazil,” Bolsonaro said. “What I want is pacification. To erase the past and find a way to live in peace.”
ISRAELI FLAG
The far-right leader gave his speech on the roof of a truck surrounded by supporters dressed in green and yellow, many of whom also carried Israeli flags.
Lula is in the midst of a diplomatic spat with Israel over comments in which he compared Israel’s war in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War II.
Bolsonaro, who last week said the left-wing president’s remarks were “criminal,” also unfurled an Israeli flag.
Allies expect Sunday’s rally to demonstrate that Bolsonaro, who has been barred from running until 2030 for spreading election falsehoods and faces several other criminal investigations, still holds political strength in deeply polarized Brazil.
“He is not dead, he is competitive and there can be no injustice,” said MP Marco Feliciano, a member of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party, adding that Brazil would “turn into chaos” if the former president were arrested.
Dozens of lawmakers and some state governors attended the rally, including Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas, who served as Bolsonaro’s infrastructure minister and is seen as a potential successor in Brazil’s right-wing politics.
“He wants to try to show his strength in front of the Supreme Court and remain politically viable, even if he is arrested,” said a source close to Bolsonaro, comparing him to Lula, who spent 580 days in prison in 2018-2019 on charges of corruption. before his sentence was overturned.