Brazil’s Bolsonaro leads motorcycle caravan in Rio de Janeiro, basks (maskless) in crowd approval

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, once again led a motorcycle caravan, this time in Rio de Janeiro, as cases of Covid-19 are beginning to rise again around the country, and specialists are warning of the possible arrival of a third wave of the pandemic in the coming weeks.

For more than an hour, the far-right leader toured  some of the most emblematic points of the city of Rio de Janeiro, where he went to participate in the motorcycle rally, considered a demonstration of support at a time when the popularity of his government is at a low.

At a certain point of the event, Bolsonaro, without a mask, stopped his motorcycle in the middle of a road to take pictures and greet his followers, which caused a crowd of hundreds of people.

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The Brazilian president left the Barra de Tijuca Olympic Park and rode along the shores of the famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, two of the city’s main tourist spots, where he was greeted by some supporters shouting “mito” (“legend”).

The Rio de Janeiro Mayor’s Office estimates that between 10,000 and 15,000 people participated in the event, for which 1,000 police officers were deployed to “guarantee order and security for the population during the event.”

Bolsonaro, one of the world leaders most critical of the prevailing mainstream covid narrative, had already led a similar motorcycle rally two weeks ago in Brasilia, in the midst of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which leaves a daily average of 1,900 dead.

Specialists fear the arrival of a third wave in coming weeks, at a time when the country is once again recording an increase in infections after the end of the restrictions imposed by governors and mayors to control the epidemiological curve.

Added to this is the slow vaccination process registered in the country, with only 20% of the population immunized with the two doses, and the identification of the Indian variant in the northeast state of Maranhão.

The Government of Maranhão fined Bolsonaro this week after he participated in a public event without a mask and causing crowds.

Many international representatives condemn Bolsonaro’s opinions and behavior. At home in Brazil, on the other hand, he is often celebrated like a hero, in the face of worldwide growing Covid-based oppression and sometimes frightening authoritarian tendencies of other democratic countries.