Government members and allies () minimized the impacts of (1st) and called the demonstration led by (PL-MG) with the presence of (PL-RJ), pre-candidate for the Presidency, a “failure”.
The minister (Institutional Relations) used the networks to criticize the act and said that opposition members took to the streets to “emulate nonsense”. The opposition’s protest had the motto “Out, Lula, Moraes and Toffoli”, in reference to the president and the ministers of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) Dias Toffoli and Alexandre de Moraes.
“Disguised as Brazilians, the country they handed over to Trump to save their father, Bolsonaro supporters go to Paulista to emulate nonsense, lie that it is their weapon, to attack Lula. They lost the election and attempted a coup”, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The act occurs at a time when Flávio emerges as Lula’s main potential opponent at the polls this year. Electoral surveys in recent months have shown the senator in dispute scenarios.
PT vice-president, Jilmar Tatto, minimized the demonstrations and referred to the act as a last attempt to unify the right.
“They know that Lula is strong, it is difficult to beat Lula, that’s why, at the same time as they attack institutions, they attack Lula, which is what we are used to”, he tells Sheet. “There’s nothing new. It’s another sunny Sunday that they have nothing to do. While they scream, we are taking care of the Brazilian people.”
In the same vein, the government leader in the Chamber, José Guimarães (PT-CE), said that Paulista’s actions do not represent any impact on the ongoing dispute in the country. “While they scream, Lula offers solidarity to the people of Minas Gerais”, he states.
On his networks, the deputy also stated that the demonstrations were marked by a “historic and shameful flop”. “The people are tired of empty speeches, hate and manipulations that do not solve Brazil’s real problems. The truth is that the majority want work, food on the table and respect for democracy. Brazil has woken up and no longer accepts being deceived by these people.”
On Saturday (28), President Lula traveled to Minas Gerais, state of Nikolas, to visit cities hit by rains that left more than 60 dead and thousands homeless. The governor of Minas, (Novo) also traveled to São Paulo to participate in the acts against Lula this Sunday.
While there, on the eve of the event, Lula made one, when talking about politics done “on his cell phone”. The parliamentarian is one of the most influential names in the opposition on social media.
“This is the year of truth in this country. This is the year in which we will prove who lies and who doesn’t. This is the year in which we will prove who does and who doesn’t. We will prove that performing pyrotechnics via cell phones does not solve society’s problems. The citizen who keeps recording and making memes all the time, playing politics, we will unmask this year,” said Lula.
The opposition event brought together around 20,000 people, according to the USP Political Debate Monitor and the NGO More in Common. According to the count, made from aerial photos analyzed with artificial intelligence software, the demonstration had less than half the audience of — at the time, .
The smaller size of this Sunday’s demonstration compared to previous ones organized by opponents was also cited by the leader of the PT in the Chamber, Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ), who used the networks to criticize the number of participants and Flávio’s speech at the event.
“It wasn’t just the size that caught attention. It was the lack of enthusiasm. Flávio Bolsonaro’s speech was cold, without energy, without truth and without the ability to excite. He seemed like a candidate without confidence in what he was saying. He lacked charisma and there were plenty of lies. His pre-candidacy begins with the weight of distrust and the feeling that there is nothing new to present other than attacks and resentment,” he wrote.
