Brazilians held protests in all 26 states and the Federal District on Sunday against a possible pardon for former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies, who were convicted of attempting a coup. Calls for demonstrations grew after the lower house on Tuesday passed a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to arrest or launch criminal proceedings against lawmakers. The measure now heads to the Senate, the AP reports. Dulce Oliveira, a 53-year-old teacher who attended the demonstration in Brasilia, said it was sending a message to lawmakers.
"This protest is important because the people need to show them what we want, because they are there to represent our needs, not their own," Oliveira said. The lower house also voted to fast-track a bill backed by right-wing opposition lawmakers that could grant amnesty to Bolsonaro, his closest allies, and hundreds of supporters convicted for their roles in the January 2023 uprising. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years, three months in prison on Sept. 11 for attempting to stay in power after losing a 2022 reelection bid. He is the first former president convicted of trying to overturn an election in Latin America's largest economy. Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing.
Some of Brazil's most prominent artists helped organize and promote Sunday's demonstrations. The protests were organized by artists and left-wing groups that have struggled to mobilize large crowds compared with the right. On Sept. 7, ahead of Bolsonaro's Supreme Court trial, thousands of his supporters rallied in his defense. Polls show the country remains deeply divided over Bolsonaro. A majority supports his conviction and imprisonment, but a significant share of the population still backs him. According to a Datafolha poll released Sept. 16, 50% of respondents said Bolsonaro should be jailed, while 43% disagreed and 7% declined to answer. The survey interviewed 2,005 people nationwide and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
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