September 7th will be on October 2nd.

By Marcelo Zero

This September 7th, we will not be able to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Brazil's Independence.

And we won't be able to for two main reasons.

A first This is because Bolsonaro, once again, has hijacked the national holiday to transform it, once more, into a major political-electoral rally against democratic institutions.

Supported by millionaire businessmen, who rented hundreds of buses, and by some military personnel, military police, militias, etc., Bolsonaro, very much a republican, intends to hold a large rally for his election and against the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), and other institutions. 

On social media, Bolsonaro supporters are already threatening extreme violence, including death.

But Bolsonaro didn't just hijack Brazil's national holiday. He stole all national symbols for himself and his followers. 

These symbols (flag, anthem, coats of arms, dates, etc.) were designed to unite the Brazilian nation. To give it a unique and inclusive identity that welcomes all Brazilians, regardless of political opinion, religion, gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.

However, Bolsonaro and his supporters use these symbols to divide, exclude, persecute, and spread hatred. This is nothing new.

Fascism and Nazism used national symbols and "patriotism" to exclude and destroy large segments of the Italian and German populations. Thus, Jews, Roma, the "physically and mentally disabled," homosexuals, communists, socialists, democrats, and all those who did not identify with fascism and Nazism were not considered Italian or German.

They were considered traitors, people who did not deserve to live in a eugenic homeland, in which everyone had to be of the same race, the same sexual orientation, the same religion, and the same extreme political choice.

The Brazilian military dictatorship did something similar. Everyone had to follow the political-ideological doctrine of the military and adhere to the ultraconservative values ​​of the far right. Anyone who disagreed and opposed them had to be censored, kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured, killed, or go into exile. The motto was "Brazil: love it or leave it." The message was clear: if you don't agree with the dictatorship, you're not Brazilian and you have to leave. Or die.

However, Bolsonaro and Bolsonarism do the exact same thing. Bolsonarism considers that only the followers of the "Myth" are the true Brazilians. Only they are "green and yellow" (referring to the colors of the Brazilian flag). The rest have other colors, not the Brazilian ones: red, pink, the colors of the rainbow, etc. 

Bolsonaro supporters, militiamen, and some military personnel who follow the same playbook believe they have a monopoly on patriotism.   

However, they are only truly patriotic in the sense used by Samuel Johnson. They are, in fact, anti-democratic scoundrels who take refuge in their supposed patriotism to justify their choice of hatred, prejudice, dictatorship, torture, and also, in some cases, corruption.

It's all a kind of "anti-democratic kickback scheme," stealing flags, anthems, jerseys, rights, jobs, food, lives, etc. 

Nevertheless, there is also a second This is why we will not be able to celebrate September 7th.

The fact is that after the 2016 coup, and especially with Bolsonaro, Brazil ceased to be an independent country. We lost our sovereignty.

Brazil, which under the PT governments was a strong, proud, and widely respected country on the planet, has now become a small, fragile country that prefers to submit to the interests of other nations rather than defend its own national interests.

The truth is that, with Bolsonaro, Brazil has become a global pariah, a country with a president who shames us before the planet. A country now seen as an environmental and social villain. A country that does not respect human rights, that kills indigenous people and environmentalists, that destroys our Amazon. A country with a racist, homophobic, misogynistic government that cultivates the memory of the dictatorship and torturers. 

How can we celebrate independence with a president who said he "loved" Trump and saluted the American flag? How can we celebrate independence with a government that automatically aligns itself with the interests of Trumpism and the global far-right? 

How can we celebrate independence with a government that ignores Brazil's true interests and, deep down, despises the Brazilian people? A government that wants to turn us into a kind of large US protectorate? Perhaps a larger Puerto Rico?

How can we celebrate independence with a people who have lost rights and freedoms? With a people who have returned to hunger, who have lost jobs and wages, who have buried dreams, friends, and relatives? 

How can we celebrate independence with nearly 700 dead, many of them victims of crimes against humanity? How can we celebrate independence with democracy under threat?

Brazil can only celebrate its independence when it becomes independent again. 

And that's very close to happening.

On October 2nd, the people of Brazil will give a new Cry of Ipiranga. 

It will be a cry for democracy, for the rights of all, for jobs, for education, for health, for the environment, for life, for dreams....

A cry for tolerance and inclusion for everyone in a great and democratic nation. A strong Brazil that supports all its citizens.

A truly patriotic cry, authentically green and yellow, because these colors belong to all the people of Brazil. 

On October 2nd, the Brazilian people will declare, through their vote, that Brazil has once again become independent, free, and sovereign.