Brazilians took to the streets on Sunday in all 26 states and the Federal District to oppose a possible amnesty for former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies, who were convicted of plotting a coup.
The demonstrations erupted after Brazil’s lower house passed a constitutional amendment on Tuesday that would make it harder to arrest or prosecute lawmakers. A day later, lawmakers also voted to fast-track a bill that could pardon Bolsonaro, his inner circle, and hundreds of supporters convicted over the January 2023 insurrection.
The coup attempt allegedly included plans to poison President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and assassinate a Supreme Court justice. Bolsonaro, who lost his 2022 reelection bid, was sentenced on September 11 to 27 years and three months in prison, becoming the first former Brazilian president convicted of trying to overturn an election. He denies wrongdoing.
Some of Brazil’s most celebrated artists including Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, and Gilberto Gil, who resisted censorship under the 1960s military regime reunited in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana to lead protests.
“I was outraged that deputies voted to shield themselves while also proposing amnesty for coup plotters,” Veloso told UOL. “The Brazilian people do not want this.”
Pop star Anitta and actor Wagner Moura also joined the demonstrations, urging citizens to hold politicians accountable. Protesters across cities echoed the demand that lawmakers represent the people rather than their own interests.
Organized largely by artists and left-wing groups, Sunday’s marches drew significant turnout, contrasting with the thousands who rallied for Bolsonaro earlier this month.
Brazil remains sharply divided: a Datafolha poll released September 16 found that 50% of Brazilians support Bolsonaro’s imprisonment, while 43% oppose it, underscoring the nation’s political fault lines.
