RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Faced with rapidly increasing coronavirus death numbers and the repeated threats by President Jair Bolsonaro against democratic institutions, democracy movements in Brazil are gaining ground.
By Monday, the “Estamos #Juntos” (We’re In This Together) Manifesto, the largest of its kind, had collected almost 200,000 signatures. With its yellow color, the Declaration in Defense of Freedom and Democracy recalls ‘Diretas Já!’ the civil society movement calling for direct presidential elections to end the military dictatorship.
Signatories range from the communist governor of a state to a singer who once backed Bolsonaro. They claim to represent over two-thirds of the population and allude to a recent opinion poll.
According to the poll, support for the right-wing President stands at 33 percent.
Another movement that made the news in Brazil over the weekend is called “Somos 70 porcento” (We are 70 percent). On Sunday, the regular rallies staged by Bolsonaro’s supporters in several cities were for the first time met with protests against the President organized by anti-fascist soccer fan groups.