On 3/8, crowds of protesters, mostly dressed in the green and yellow of the Brazilian flag and former President Jair Bolsonaro's party, gathered in major cities like Brasilia, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. Many carried American flags and banners reading "Thank you, Mr. Trump".
"I'm here to defend the people against judges acting arbitrarily," Valdeciria Galvao, a protester in Brasilia, said.
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Protesters hold signs supporting President Trump in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 3/8. Photo: AP |
Protesters hold signs supporting President Trump in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 3/8. Photo: AP
Bolsonaro, 70, a right-wing politician, was president of Brazil from 2019 to 2022. He was considered an ally of President Trump during his first term and shared many similarities with the American leader. He lost to leftist opponent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election but refused to accept the results, claiming some voting machines were faulty.
Bolsonaro is currently on trial in Brasilia on sedition charges, facing a lengthy prison sentence, with the trial expected to conclude in the coming weeks.
US President Donald Trump called the trial a "witch hunt" and imposed a 50% tariff on some imports from Brazil. The US Treasury Department also sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
Maristela dos Santos, 62, said she fully agreed with the economic sanctions President Trump imposed on Brazil to defend his ally Bolsonaro. "Since a solution cannot be found here, it has to come from elsewhere," she said, adding that she wasn't overly concerned about the economic impact of the US tariffs.
Paulo Roberto, a 46-year-old businessman, echoed this sentiment, believing that the punitive US tariffs targeting Brazil's current administration were necessary. "Unfortunately, we must take a few steps back to move towards greater freedom and a better quality of life in the future," Roberto said.
Ngoc Anh (AFP)
