Thousands rally at 'obscene' motorcade for Jair Bolsonaro

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Thousands rally at ‘obscene’ motorcade for Jair Bolsonaro

After 450,000 Covid deaths, president parades through Rio in effort to reenergnise far right

Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
Sun 23 May 2021 18.13 BST

The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has led a raucous column of motorcycle enthusiasts through the streets of Rio in an attempt to reenergise his flagging far-right movement as public anger grows over his handling of the country’s Covid outbreak.

Thousands of flag-waving Bolsonaristas gathered outside the Olympic Park in west Rio on Sunday morning for the two-wheeled show of support before roaring east towards the southern beach districts and city centre, with Bolsonaro near the front.

As defenders of the Brazilian president assembled under a white banner reading “Legend, you are not alone!”, Bolsonaro’s detractors bashed pans and hurled profanities from their balconies in protest. Many dissenters denounced as “genocidal” his handling of a Covid epidemic that has killed almost half a million Brazilians, nearly half of the total lost in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Supporters said they had come from across the country to endorse the 66-year-old leader.

-snip-

Nearby a group of leftwing and LGBT demonstrators had turned out to voice their disgust and show the Bolsonarian bikers their middle fingers.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/23/thousands-rally-jair-bolsonaro-obscene-motorcade-covid-deaths

[jimfields33]

1. I guess they will take longer to rid themselves of the virus

Right wing groups and protest groups are susceptible as anyone else. We’ll see in two weeks.

[marble falls]

4. If the virus doesn't kill them first.

[doc03]

2. The Trump of South America. nt

[2naSalit]

3. +1