RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Dozens of supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro organized a motorcade on Saturday afternoon through the streets of São Paulo to show support to him in the handling of the Covid-19 crisis and to criticize Rede Globo, TV Bandeirantes, China and the governor of São Paulo, João Doria.
The protest was convened by WhatsApp groups and started outside the Ibirapuera Gymnasium, which will house the city’s third field hospital.
A man in the back of a pickup truck delivered a speech urging people not to watch these two stations and boycott any brand advertised by them. He also accused China of financing the television networks in association with Doria.
Nearby, truckers parked their vehicles next to the Legislative Assembly and a chorus shouting “Out, Doria” was set up. The governor of São Paulo and Rede Globo were the main targets of the motorcade and called “traitors of the homeland”.
The protest also included dozens of cars and motorcycles with Brazilian flags. The speeches had the customary lines of the President’s supporters such as “my flag will never be red”.
Doria has stood out as one of the governors who, following recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and even Bolsonaro’s Ministry of Health, enforced measures such as closing businesses and schools in an attempt to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. The governor of São Paulo decreed and later extended a quarantine.
The demonstrators proceeded to Paulista Avenue and from there set off for TV Globo’s headquarters in the São Paulo capital, where the protest reached its peak. At least 200 people gathered there and the majority got out of their cars. They rejoined to call the station a traitor to the homeland, interspersed with criticism of Governor João Doria.
Among the demonstrators was entrepreneur Cleyson Lombardi, 47, who claims to respect quarantine but says people need to work. “I depend on trade and my turnover dropped 80 percent.” He carries motorcycles to workshops and stores and works alone. “What saves me is working capital money, but I’m at the limit”.
State police officers crossed their vehicles three blocks from Doria’s house, located in the upscale Jardins district. They blocked access to his home to prevent the motorcade from passing through.
But the protesters had yet another target and headed toward the headquarters of the FIESP (Federation of Industries of São Paulo), located on Paulista Avenue. They did not intend to complain about the entrepreneurs’ performance in the Covid-19 crisis but sought the visibility of São Paulo’s best-known address.
Like President Bolsonaro, the protesters object to social isolation measures and argue that the economic impact will be severe. Several cars had banners calling for João Doria’s removal, regarded as a traitor for having been elected by having been an ally of the President in the 2018 elections.
This was the case of the helicopter pilot Paulo Euzébio, 51. “I voted for Doria. He made the best promises and joined Bolsonaro, stuck to Bolsonaro. But Doria betrayed the President and São Paulo. He saw in this illness an opportunity to draw electoral benefits,” says Paulo.
The pilot mentioned the example of chloroquine. He complained that the President always advocated the use of the drug in the fight against the coronavirus and when many began to join the cause, the governor of São Paulo said that the idea had come from his team.
“His focus is to conquer the Presidency and is showing all his falsehood. But he will fall flat on his face”.
Locksmith Reginaldo Teixeira Rossi, 58, said he was outraged by the obligation to remain at home. The São Paulo governor’s decision not to accept the President’s views was also considered treason and a reason for impeachment.
In relation to Rede Globo, he said he removed the station from his TV two years ago. Reginaldo considers the channel a propagator of lies with false reports that seek to destabilize the President.
The government of São Paulo sent a note in which it states that it “respects the right to free expression of all who wish to take part in demonstrations in the state”. However, the communiqué stresses, “it is important to stress that social isolation is vital to reducing the cases and deaths of COVID-19, according to the recommendation of the WHO (World Health Organization) and the Ministry of Health”.
The State Police followed the motorcade all afternoon and at no time asked the drivers to disperse, despite the fact that the protest was in breach of quarantine.
Brazil has recorded 20,727 official cases of the disease and 1,124 deaths as of Saturday.
Source: UOL