Labor Day in Brazil had a marked political climate between Lula and Bolsonaro

The Labor Day demonstrations had a marked political climate this Sunday in Brazilwith massive acts throughout the country polarized between the left, led by former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and the right, led by President Jair Bolsonaro.

Just five months before the presidential elections, the South American giant divided its affections between the former union leader, who governed the country between 2003 and 2010 and who appears as the great favorite in the electoral polls with 43% of the intention to vote, and the far-right leader, who, with 26% of the support, aspires to be re-elected for four more years.

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The protests were peaceful and started early in most of the country and especially in cities such as Fortaleza, Recife, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, where Lula supporters gathered in Parque do Flamengo, near the city center. , while the Bolsonaristas met in front of Copacabana beach, their usual place.

In Brasilia, the protests also began in the morning and included, although for a few minutes, the presence of Bolsonaro, who appeared unexpectedly around noon, in the Alameda de las Banderas, in front of the National Congress.

The Brazilian president, whose presence at the demonstrations was in doubt, since his closest collaborators had advised him to avoid them so that his attendance would not be interpreted as political propaganda, interacted with some of his supporters but did not speak to the public.

Hours later, Bolsonaro virtually accompanied his followers during the demonstrations in Sao Paulo, the largest city in the country and where the strongest and most massive protests in all were concentrated. Brazil.

REDS VS.” GREEN-YELLOW”

While the dayred” that brought together the workers’ centrals and Lula’s followers lasted practically throughout the day in the capital of São Paulo, the activity “yellow green”which brought together the followers of the far-right leader, began in the early afternoon.

The Charles Muller square, located right in front of the Pacaembu stadium, welcomed several unions in the capital of São Paulo, led by the Single Central of Workers (CUT), which criticized the increase in hunger and inequality that has been experienced in the country since that Bolsonaro became president and they clamored for Lula’s return to power.

Lula was brief in his speech and, although he reiterated on several occasions that he was not yet a presidential candidate, the tone was political, highlighting the achievements of his administration and criticizing that of Bolsonaro.

“someone better” that the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, is going to “Win the election” presidential this year, he noted.

The former president recalled that during his government the country’s GDP grew by around 4.1% each year, 22 million jobs were created and inflation at that time did not exceed 4.5% per year, almost three times less than what currently has Brazil (11.30%).

“We are going to be a civilized country again, the Constitution is going to be respected”, assured.

“We are going to be a society where love overcomes hate and where culture overcomes ignorance”he concluded.

Lula’s speech, anxiously awaited since the beginning of the afternoon, took several hours waiting for supporters because the call, although it brought together hundreds of them, did not attract the crowds that usually accompany him.

The former union leader spoke almost an hour after Bolsonaro gave a short message to his followers virtually (around 3:15 p.m. local time, 6:15 p.m. GMT), through a giant screen located on Avenida Paulista.

“I will go where you are. I will always be next to the Brazilian population. I thank the creator for my life and many of you for believing and offering me this mission to guide the destiny of Brazil. Good always defeats evil.”said.

With a participation similar to that of Lula, hundreds of Bolsonaristas were just three kilometers from where the followers of the progressive leader gathered, and despite the proximity, the demonstrations in Sao Paulo -and throughout the country- were peaceful and No violent act was recorded.

Covered by the green-yellow of the Brazilian flag, Bolsonaro’s followers extolled the management of the far-right leader and defended the pardon that the president granted last week to a related deputy, after being sentenced to eight years in prison by the Supreme Court of Justice, for threatening several of its magistrates and inciting anti-democratic acts.

On Paulista Avenue, the most important in the city, and which is usually the point of concentration of the workers’ unions on this day, the supporters of the Brazilian president, armed with posters and Brazilian flags, also strongly criticized the Supreme Court of Justice. , accused by its leader of hindering his re-election.

Likewise, they launched harangues against Lula and even called for military intervention, as was also seen in Rio and Brasilia.

Source: Elcomercio

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