Before an adventurer lays his hand

The political situation seems to have changed and taken a course contrary to the authoritarian escalation underway, led by President Jair Bolsonaro, whose actions signal a violent coup d'état, with the hoped-for support of the Armed Forces, to enthrone the occupant of the Planalto Palace as dictator. The simultaneous outbreak of movements in defense of multi-party democracy was seen on the avenues of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with the initiative of members of the organized fan groups of the main football clubs in these cities.

For the first time since the protests against the Temer government and its reforms, democratic, anti-fascist demonstrators, in defense of the Federal Constitution, took to the streets, this time in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, where and when gatherings should be avoided to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. But it is a message sent to Bolsonaro, his sons, allies, and certain ministers, who are unqualified from a moral, ethical, political, technical, and intellectual standpoint. They couldn't wait any longer. And the demonstrators in defense of democracy are back.

Brazilian society has grown tired of the lack of public commitment, of the political chaos initiated by the elites at the end of 2014, after the re-election of President Dilma Rousseff, which continued with the 16 coup and was strengthened with the regrettable advent of Bolsonaro's election in 2018, with strong evidence of manipulation. Today, the majority of the country – about 70% of the population, as the Rio de Janeiro economist Eduardo Moreira rightly pointed out – does not accept that Bolsonaro and his followers attack institutions in the name of totalitarian desires.

We are 70%.

The president and his supporters represent less than 30% of the Brazilian population; therefore, they are a minority attempting to overpower the overwhelming majority. This explains the intensification of pro-democracy demonstrations, such as the "Estamos Juntos" (We Are Together) Movement; the "Basta!" (Enough!) movement, which brings together jurists and lawyers; and the "Somos 70%" (We Are 70%) Movement, which gained momentum from the hashtag #somos70porcento (we are 70 percent), created by Eduardo Moreira. Common to these movements is the defense of the democratic rule of law, anti-fascism, and opposition to Bolsonaro.

This is something that historically recalls the Diretas Já movement of 1984, when liberals, center, center-left, and left-wing leaders stood on the same platform to demand an end to the military dictatorship. Now, this same front is forming again, but it is not led by parties; it lacks a leader or leaders, but it has the support of leaders from various political parties, as well as professional categories, artists, intellectuals, etc. It is expected that such manifestos will serve to pave the way for more intense action by opposition parties.

The natural period of tolerance, observed at the beginning of any government, to allow for a truce and evaluation of the performance of public officials, has ended in Bolsonaro's case. Regarding this government, there is nothing more to expect that is positive, progressive, developmental, inclusive, or socially protective. The institutional space occupied by the president and his regime has also been exhausted. It is time to mobilize in defense of democracy and defeat the adventurers who intend to usurp the Nation and seize Brazilian identity.