RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Wednesday, June 2, amid protests in numerous cities, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro once again focused on the economy in the face of the restrictive measures adopted by governors and mayors to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
In a speech delivered on a national radio and television network, the far-right leader highlighted the good performance of the economy during the first quarter of this year, when GDP advanced by 1.2%, and praised the privatization process carried out by his government, but avoided any mention of the worsening of the health crisis.
Despite formally regretting the deaths from Covid-19, Bolsonaro, one of the world’s main deniers of the danger of the virus, stressed that his government “did not force anyone to stay at home” and that he and his 22 ministers defend the “freedom” and the right to “come and go” of citizens.
In this sense, he cited Brazil’s decision to host the Copa America soccer tournament starting next June 13, after Argentina and Colombia desisted from that role, and stressed that the Executive “plays within the four lines of the Constitution”.
The decision to host the Copa America has generated indignation among public figures, from the left to the center-right, and epidemiological specialists. The country is experiencing a new upsurge of Covid-19 infections, and a total of over 468,000 deaths and 16.7 million infected people.
This Wednesday alone, Brazil registered more than 95,000 cases of the coronavirus, and most experts agree that the country is heading for a third wave.
Even though vaccination is progressing very slowly in the country, with 22% of the population vaccinated with one dose and little more than 10% with the two doses, Bolsonaro also insisted that all Brazilians who wish to be vaccinated will be vaccinated by the end of this year.
Brazilians in several country cities, such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Recife, criticized his speech by banging pots and pans, and by shouting “Bolsonaro out!” and “Genocide!”, as well as honking horns.