It was a coup. And Felipe Neto's example should be followed by traditional media and other communicators.

YouTuber Felipe Neto, one of the biggest digital influencers in the country, with over 10 million followers on Twitter and almost 40 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, took a fundamental step towards restoring a minimally democratic environment in Brazil by acknowledging his own mistake in supporting the 2016 coup d'état that removed former President Dilma Rousseff through a fraudulent impeachment process based on the bogus thesis of "fiscal irresponsibility." 

Before that, Felipe had already recorded a video in which he demanded that other communicators take a firm stance in the fight against fascism, with an impeccable argument from a moral standpoint: those who remain silent in the face of abuse of power become complicit. However, yesterday's movement was missing, because it is not enough to criticize fascism without recognizing its origin. Jair Bolsonaro is the consequence of the coup d'état against Dilma. He would never have been in power if, before that, society had not been poisoned by hate speech against "leftists," "communists," and the Workers' Party itself.

Felipe knows he had some involvement in this process, much less than that of traditional media outlets, but one that cannot be underestimated given their enormous power of influence. It's possible to believe that he was contaminated by the instilling of hatred in Brazil promoted by Globo, Abril, Folha, Estado, and all traditional media outlets, as well as by pages created on social media with the sole purpose of fueling the fires of the inquisition. These media groups, it should be noted, are now being persecuted by Bolsonaro's supporters and are exposing their professionals to the risk of aggression and even death in their daily coverage of fascism.

Felipe Neto's mea culpa does not, obviously, mean that he is willing to embrace a project for the reconstruction of Brazil associated with the PT (Workers' Party) or other traditional left-wing forces, even though his positions on social issues are progressive. He is an active militant against racism, homophobia, and gender inequality. In economics, he adopts a more liberal discourse, but, on the Roda Viva program, he also criticized the so-called "meritocracy," a cornerstone of liberals who use the concept to perpetuate inequalities in Brazil. When asked who he would support, he stated that today he is "between Ciro Gomes and João Amoedo." In other words, his discourse is liberal in social issues and also in economics, with slight hints of combating inequality. This is a legitimate position, and it would be up to the traditional left to convince him, as well as other people who think the same way, that there are more efficient ways to generate development and social well-being.

What's needed now is for the traditional press to also acknowledge its role in the rise of fascism in Brazil. Just follow Felipe's own words: “I make a mea culpa without any problem. One flaw I don't have is stubbornness. I made many mistakes in the past, and I learned a lot from those mistakes. I'm not a fan of the Workers' Party project, but at the time of the impeachment, my collaboration, although not comparable to its reach today, was undoubtedly used in the wrong, misguided way, due to a lack of reading and study. I've spent the last four years trying to correct this mistake and using my strength to ward off the oppression we see today,” he stated. Congratulations.