Protesters gathered, on the afternoon of this Thursday (8), in the main hall of the Faculty of Law, in the center of , against the Dosimetry PL, vetoed earlier by the president (), in a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto. The acts took place on the date three years after the invasion of the headquarters of the three Powers, in 2023.
At one point, a right-wing group clashed with left-wing activists. According to reports, former Bolsonaro state deputy Douglas Garcia () went up to the galleries of the main hall to record videos, provoking those present.
With shouts of “fascist”, the militants tore Garcia’s shirt and expelled him down the stairs. On the ground floor, the confrontation intensified, with the presence of councilor Rubinho Nunes (União Brasil) and his team. The two politicians were involved in a fight involving left-wing activists, in front of police officers, who did nothing.
Rubinho Nunes denies having committed any aggression. “I went to the stairs and tried to separate the attackers and was attacked with kicks, punches and a bottle in the eye. I have images of everything,” he said.
As for his presence at a left-wing event, the councilor says he went to listen to people about the reasons for the protests. “I believe this is a public act in a public space, right?” He posted videos showing an exchange of pushes and in which he appears to provoke left-wing activists.
Luiz Nicoletti, 21, a member of the Graúna collective, said he was attacked with punches by the councilor. “They came to riot, especially Douglas, who is involved in left-wing acts. The police just surrounded the place, without any intervention,” he said.
The event in Largo de São Francisco had been called by the PT-SP, the XI de Agosto Academic Center and the Prerrogativas group. In total, 40 entities participated in the event and organized a manifesto, the text of which advocates that the date be seen as a day of victory for Brazilian democracy.
Among the more than 200 signatories of the document are the coordinator of Prerogativas, Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, senator Teresa Leitão (PT-PE), as well as lawyer Pierpaolo Bottini. The text says it is necessary to create a memory of January 8th.
“The day marks, firstly, a historic civic celebration in defense of democracy. It must, however, also be a date on which all of us, Brazilians, redouble our attention to any and all internal or external threats to the Brazilian democratic rule of law and our national sovereignty”, states the document.
The protesters who were in São Francisco Square thus reiterated their position against initiatives to pardon or even minimize the sentences of those convicted of the coup plot. They constantly shouted “no amnesty” and asked the president of the United States to take his hands off Latin America (“Be careful imperialist, Latin America will all be socialist”, chanted those present.)
Known for his positions on the left, actor Paulo Betti was the master of ceremonies. “We cannot allow the right to overturn the veto of the Dosimetry PL and to do so we have to worry about electing deputies and senators who are committed to Brazil’s democracy”, he said, on the stand.
Besides him; José Genoíno, former president of the PT, who was applauded by the activists, and federal deputy Ricardo Galvão (Rede), former director of Inpe during the government, were present.
“We need to remember the need to defeat a corrupt, surrendering and authoritarian ruling class,” said Genoíno. “Therefore, we have to fight to defeat the dosimetry project and demand the freedom of Nicolás Maduro and Cília Florez. We are at a crossroads, this crossroads has to be decided in the streets and not just in palaces.”
Approved by Congress, the Dosimetry PL could benefit former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is imprisoned at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília.
