Thousands of Brazilian students marched through the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro on October 7 to protest against the possibility of Flavio Bolsonaro becoming the country's president. The demonstrators carried banners calling for Brazil's sovereignty and democracy and chanted that these values were under threat.
The march passed between two historic squares in the city center. In the "Sinelandia" square, chants of support for incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth term, could be heard. The protest was also organized in defense of public education.
“We are fighting for Brazil, not for Lula“, said 19-year-old ecology student Talita Amaral.She was wearing the yellow-and-green jersey of the Brazilian national soccer team. The garment is often associated with supporters of the Bolsonaro family, but Amaral explained that she chose it as a sign that the protesters want to reclaim the national colors.
“There is no time to be sad, we need to do exactly this - occupy the streets, send messages on “WhatsApp“ groups and try to convince people“, she added.
The runoff is on October 25
Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva did not collect the required more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, held on October 4. Therefore, the two will face each other in the runoff on October 25.
According to data cited by the Associated Press, Flavio Bolsonaro received about 2 million more votes than Lula. The candidates who ranked third, fourth and fifth are representatives of the right-wing political space. It was initially reported that they received a total of 6 million votes, but the Associated Press later corrected its information and indicated that the total was more than 8 million.
Flavio Bolsonaro is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup. The candidate himself is being investigated for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion due to his ties to the bankrupt “Banco Master“.
Protesters warned of closeness to the United States
Some of the demonstrators said they feared a closer alliance between Brazil and the United States if Flavio Bolsonaro won. They pointed to the closeness between the ideologies of US President Donald Trump and the Bolsonaro family, as well as the dispute over the 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods and the sanctions against a judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court.
“If Bolsonaro wins, Brazil will become a colony of the US“, said 20-year-old literature student João Victor Vieira.He described Bolsonaro's candidacy as a threat to minorities, women and the LGBT community. The banners in the march read the messages “Brazil is no one's backyard“ and “I will not vote for anyone who sells Brazil“.
“This protest shows that social movements are still alive. We will resist“, Vieira said.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com