Bolsonaro Backers Fill Brazilian Streets, Target Court Amid U.S. Sanctions

Thousands of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro marched in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and other Brazilian cities on Sunday, denouncing Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Protesters demanded amnesty for those convicted over the 8 January 2023 storming of government buildings and held banners backing U.S. President Donald Trump. American flags were widely displayed. Bolsonaro, accused of conspiring to overturn the 2022 election, is awaiting trial and remains under house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet. He did not attend the rallies but briefly addressed demonstrators in Rio via a phone call arranged by his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The demonstrations came four days after Washington imposed Magnitsky-style financial sanctions on Moraes and announced a 50% tariff on most Brazilian exports, moves Trump said were a response to a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro. A five-judge STF panel voted unanimously in March to put the former president on trial; a conviction could lead to a lengthy prison term.