The performance of Acadêmicos de Niterói (PT) in the parade of samba schools in Rio de Janeiro this Sunday (15) was the target of criticism by right-wing politicians.
Partially financed with federal funds, the parade praised the PT member’s trajectory and portrayed former president Jair Bolsonaro as a clown. Lula followed from the box, Janja, who did not parade as planned. At one point, he went down to the avenue, with Mayor Eduardo Paes, to greet members of the school.
Former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro (PL) shared a video of one of the parade’s floats that shows a clown with an electronic ankle bracelet behind bars and wrote: “The one who was arrested for corruption was Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. This is a judicial record and not an opinion.”
Federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) wrote that if the parade took place in 2022, Bolsonaro would be arrested. “[Haveria] search and seizure in PL, seizure in the school shed, seizure of floats and lifetime ineligibility”, he said.
Earlier, the senator and pre-candidate for President (PL) released a video made with artificial intelligence that simulates a .
The video mixes images of carnival participants on the avenue with montages of the president dressed as a prisoner, and photos of Janja and the Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann.
The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo), criticized the characterization of conservative voters made in the parade. “They will be trivialized throughout Brazil by a bloc financed with money from the federal government,” he said.
Just like Flávio, Zema from the parade titled “where’s my picanha?”, also made with artificial intelligence. “Mensalão on the avenue, buying votes on the air”, says the material.
The presentation by Acadêmicos de Niterói in honor of Lula was also challenged by other sectors of the right, who filed a series of lawsuits trying to stop the parade.
On the 12th, the TSE following a complaint from the Novo and Missão parties. On the occasion, minister Cármen Lúcia stated that there is a “very concrete, plausible risk that something illegal will happen” in this Sunday’s presentation.
Also in February, deputies asked the (Federal Audit Court) to impose a fine of R$9.65 million on those responsible for the plot. Previously, the court had denied the party’s request for the parade.
Embratur for all samba schools in Rio’s elite group. Of this amount, R$1 million was paid to the school that honors the PT member.
The presentation told the president’s life story, starting with his poor childhood in the state of Pernambuco, moving to São Paulo in the 1950s, and his life as a union leader, before being elected president.
“By irony, 13 nights, 13 days, Santa Luzia, São José Alumiou guided me, from the left of God the Father, from the union struggle, to world leadership”, says the song composed by Teresa Cristina and other samba singers, in a reference to the PT’s ballot box number.
In this Sunday’s presentation, actor and comedian Paulo Vieira played Lula, and actresses Juliana Barone and Dira Paes played first lady Marisa Letícia (1950-2017) and the president’s mother, Dona Lindu (1915-1980), respectively.
