Bolsonaro defended himself before his followers against accusations of planning a coup The former Brazilian president asked for pardon for those detained due to the riots

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gathered thousands of followers in San Pablo on Sunday to He takes his first group shower since leaving power Defending himself against investigations into the alleged coup attempt. Bolsonaro, who climbed onto a truck installed in the middle of Paulista Avenue, the city's most emblematic street, denied the existence of a coup plot, described himself as a victim of “persecution” and criticized “the abuses of some.” The governor of Sao Paulo state, former Bolsonaro minister Tarcisio de Freitas, and the city's mayor, Ricardo Nunes, participated in the march.

“Amnesty” for prisoners in Brasilia

Bolsonaro defended himself in front of a crowd wearing green and yellow, the colors of the flag, saying: “What is a coup? It is tanks in the streets, it is weapons, it is a conspiracy… None of that happened in Brazil.” Who applauded him and shouted “legend” at him every three sentences. The far right called for the country to “calm down” and asked lawmakers to approve an amnesty for people convicted of the invasion of the presidential headquarters, Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia on January 8, 2023.

Bolsonaro avoided explicitly attacking one of his favorite targets, The Supreme Court withdrew his passport at the beginning of the month and prevented him from leaving the country as part of police investigations Which also includes many generals and allies of the former president. Bolsonaro intends to travel to Washington this weekend to participate in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) alongside former US President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Miley.

According to the judicial investigation, the suspects tried to distort the electronic voting system before the elections, and then prepared a coup, which did not happen, against Lula's new government. Bolsonaro says he is a victim of persecution and On Thursday, he remained silent when police questioned him.

“We want amnesty for the poor people imprisoned in Brasilia. “In the past we issued an amnesty to those who committed atrocities, and now we are asking representatives and senators to draft an amnesty so that justice can be done in Brazil,” said Bolsonaro on Sunday, who said those who destroyed the headquarters on January 8, 2023 should be removed. Those with authority are punished “but not with such unreasonable sentences.”

The far-right said: “We cannot accept that a force excludes anyone from the political scene, unless it is for a just reason. We cannot think about elections by removing opponents.” The Supreme Court has so far sentenced more than 100 people For sentences of up to 17 years in prison for violating the rule of law.

“Evil engineering”

Before Bolsonaro, another person investigated for the coup attempt was present at the event: Liberal Party leader Waldemar Costa Neto. Former president's wife, Michele Bolsonaro, head of the women's branch of the Liberal Party and an ardent evangelical activist, cried during the prayer. Which he gave to the public and expressed his regret at the separation of “religion from politics” in the elections. “With that thought, things went wrong,” she asked while crying.

In contrast to the measured tone used by Bolsonaro, influential evangelical pastor Silas Malafaja attacked the court and spoke of alleged “evil engineering” to try to imprison the far-right leader, who has already been disqualified until 2030 over his questioning of the electronic ballot boxes used. .in the elections.

Malavia warned that if the court's judges ordered Bolsonaro's arrest, “it would not be to destroy him (the former president), but to destroy them.” In opinion polls, Bolsonaro remains the leader of the opposition, although he cannot run in any elections because he has been disqualified until 2030 specifically for criticizing electronic ballot boxes without evidence.