Jean Wyllys is our brother, Henfil.
247 editor and columnist Gustavo Conde states that Jean Wyllys is the first political exile of the new Brazilian dictatorship, which is more violent than the previous one. Conde says: "Jean Wyllys's gesture of leaving Brazil is not similar to the petty-bourgeois and cowardly gesture of the middle class that runs to Portugal or Miami trying to hide from its own lack of character. It's the opposite. Jean leaves Brazil to respect Brazil. To fight for Brazil. He is our first exile, the first to have the courage to leave the territory taken over by an exceptional, violent, vengeful, and gun-toting regime."
Jean Wyllys's gesture of leaving Brazil is not similar to the petty-bourgeois and cowardly gesture of the middle class that runs to Portugal or Miami trying to hide from its own lack of character.
It's the opposite.
Jean leaves Brazil to respect Brazil. To fight for Brazil. He is our first exile, the first to have the courage to leave a territory taken over by an exceptional, violent, vengeful, and gun-toting regime.
Those "middle-class" people who leave Brazil ashamed of Bolsonaro's policies never even dreamed of exposing themselves and defending Brazilian democracy like Jean Wyllys did throughout his two terms as a congressman.
There isn't a single heterosexual man in Brazil with a tenth of Jean Wyllys' courage.
And it's almost a miracle that he's still alive, considering the violence of the militias spread throughout Rio and the executions of people associated with human rights that are multiplying in this crude, worthless, and violent dictatorship that is Bolsonaro's Brazil.
A global disgrace, a global shame.
Today is a very sad day for Brazil and for the dreams of democracy that remain here.
Jean may not even know it, but with this gesture, he will provoke a profound debate in Brazil, which could take on gigantic proportions.
The world will see, through Jean, the abomination this country has become.
It's no coincidence that his decision was announced alongside suspicions that the Bolsonaro family is closely linked to the most violent militias in Rio de Janeiro.
In fact, there's not much more to say about this. People who honor a convicted murderer? People who employ the mother of a militia member suspected of killing Marielle? People who celebrate Marielle's death? People who vandalize street signs bearing Marielle's name?
As is often said, Marielle lives on and can defeat the Bolsonaros and their criminal associates simply through her political and symbolic dimension.
Meanwhile, Jean Wyllys is doing the right thing by deciding to stay alive.
We're going to need him when this nightmare is over.
* This is an opinion article, the responsibility of the author, and does not reflect the opinion of Brasil 247.