In a demonstration on São Paulo’s Paulista Avenue this Sunday (7), on Brazil’s Independence Day, far-right supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro demanded amnesty for those being judged by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) for their roles in the January 8 attempted coup.
The protest, marked by large U.S. flags and T-shirts bearing the image of U.S. president Donald Trump, currently promoting a tariff hike against Brazil, also featured calls to release Bolsonaro from prosecution, as his trial on coup-related charges nears its conclusion. The merchandise was reportedly sold for about US$12.
The rally was attended by São Paulo state governor Tarcísio de Freitas, a former Bolsonaro cabinet member, alongside Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, and conservative evangelical pastor Silas Malafaia, one of the event’s organizers.
Speaking from the stage, Governor Tarcísio said Bolsonaro’s possible conviction would be a “wound that will never heal.” He compared the moment to the 1979 Amnesty Law, which controversially pardoned crimes committed during Brazil’s dictatorship. “This process is tainted. Just like in 1979, it needs to be broad and unconditional. We must guarantee freedom. We need to reconnect with our tradition of pacification. The country will free itself from the claws of the Workers’ Party,” he declared, just days after joining President Lula in Brasília for the launch of a major infrastructure project.
Tarcísio also called on Lower Chamber president Hugo Motta to schedule the vote on the proposed amnesty bill: “Are we living in a free and democratic state? Certainly not. That’s why we’re here, demanding amnesty. What message do you want to send to Hugo Motta today? No president can block the will of a majority of over 350 deputies. I’m confident he will bring amnesty to a vote.”
Push for congressional amnesty
On the avenue, Liberal Party (PL) president Valdemar Costa Neto told BdF the measure will pass after Bolsonaro’s trial. “We have the majority. We’ll approve it after the verdict,” he said.
Federal deputy Sóstenes Cavalcante, the party’s Lower Chamber leader, echoed the message. “My biggest dream is to get a date for the vote. I spoke with Hugo Motta last Friday, but we still don’t have one. My sense is that it’ll happen right after the trial, maybe the following week. We already have around 300 votes in the Chamber,” he claimed. “I’m sure the Senate will also come around, and [Senate President] Alcolumbre won’t be able to stop it.”
If approved, the constitutionality of the amnesty bill is likely to be challenged before the STF. Cavalcante acknowledged this and said party leaders were already lobbying Supreme Court justices behind the scenes.
Opposition responds: ‘They failed—and now beg for amnesty’
Meanwhile, leftist federal deputy Guilherme Boulos, speaking at a separate rally in São Paulo’s Praça da República, said the bill “won’t make it through the Senate.” He pointed out that while Bolsonaro allies may build a majority in the lower house with support from center-right parties like PP and União Brasil, there is “no social atmosphere for amnesty.”
“These people tried and failed to carry out a coup. Before, they stood on top of trucks and acted like tough guys. Now, they’re begging for forgiveness,” said Boulos. “Just look at Tarcísio’s pathetic behavior, running to Brasília to kiss up to Bolsonaro in hopes of being launched as the next presidential candidate. He can pretend to be a moderate next year, but it won’t work. Everyone knows his disgraceful, anti-democratic role.”
Context: trial enters final phase
Sunday’s demonstration comes as Bolsonaro and seven other defendants face judgment in the STF’s First Panel for their role in attempting a coup to overturn a democratic elected government.
The trial, which began September 2, is expected to conclude by Friday, September 12. At this stage, defense attorneys and prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) have already delivered oral arguments, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes has presented a detailed report recommending conviction. The justices are now casting their votes.
If convicted, Bolsonaro faces up to 40 years in prison, depending on how the court applies sentencing guidelines.
Symbols of a transnational far right
The protest also featured familiar elements of Brazil’s far-right imagery: flags of Brazil, the United States, and Israel, and continued attacks against Justice Moraes, who serves as the rapporteur in the STF trial, as well as against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The presence of U.S. flags and Trump-themed merchandise underscored the transnational connections and ideological affinities between Brazil’s and the United States’ far-right movements, particularly in their rejection of election results and democratic institutions.
