‘No Amnesty!’ Mass Protests in Brazil Against Bolsonaro Pardon Push

Tens of thousands of Brazilians poured into the streets on Sunday to denounce what they called “shameless” attempts by lawmakers to push through an amnesty that could benefit former president Jair Bolsonaro and shield themselves from prosecution.

Bolsonaro was sentenced last week to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup. Days later, the conservative-majority Congress fast-tracked an amnesty bill that could include him and 700 of his supporters convicted for storming government buildings in January 2023.

“No amnesty,” crowds roared in dozens of cities, hoisting signs and wearing stickers that read “Shameless Congress.” Demonstrators were equally angered by the so-called “Shielding Bill,” which would force Congress to approve, by secret ballot, any move to charge or arrest its members.

“This protection they seek is to camouflage corruption and impunity,” said psychology student Giovana Araujo, 27, at a “musical protest” on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach.

Iconic musicians Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Chico Buarque, who were censored under Brazil’s military dictatorship, performed resistance songs from the era. As they sang, inflatable dolls of Bolsonaro in prison stripes and Donald Trump floated above the crowd.

In São Paulo, protesters unfurled a giant Brazilian flag in response to a U.S. flag waved at a recent pro-Bolsonaro march. The University of São Paulo’s Political Debate Monitor estimated 42,000 protesters in both Rio and São Paulo — the largest left-wing turnout since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection in 2022.

“The left is reorganizing in the face of these atrocities. We’ve reached a choking point — it’s stuck in our throats, ready to come out as a scream,” said Henrique Marques, a 42-year-old environmental engineer in Brasilia.

Some lawmakers have since apologized for voting for the “Shielding Bill,” claiming they did so under pressure. Both measures now face a difficult battle in the Senate, where Lula has vowed to veto the amnesty bill and dismissed the shielding measure as unworthy of serious debate.