March 15th

On March 15, 1985, thirty years ago, a civilian assumed the presidency of the Republic, replacing a military officer. This brought to an end a long and painful dictatorial period of 21 years. Elected, still by indirect vote, he led the redemocratization process and the constituent assembly, so that, finally, a little over 25 years later, the Brazilian people could vote and democratically choose their president.

Anyone who has lived through or knows history knows the suffering, lives, struggle, and organization it took to get to March 13th and 15th, 2015. Two days of significant demonstrations in the streets of this country, with the right to express oneself freely: without fear of imprisonment, without the threat of torture, without the risk of death or disappearance.

Demonstrations included proposals for political reform, defense of Petrobras, an end to corporate campaign financing, opposition to corruption, and defense of workers' rights. Also expressions of indignation and protest.

Demonstrations for and against. It's part of the democratic process.

But, 30 years later, on this March 15th, the serpent's egg was there in the countless posters, banners, and slogans calling for military intervention, acclaiming the coup. An affront to the rule of law we live under, an affront and disrespect to the most precious asset of democracy that we suffered so much to regain: the right to vote, to the results of the polls, to the exercise of the mandate elected by the majority.

The serpent's egg is appearing more and more frequently in our daily lives, on social media, in significant demonstrations of intolerance, hatred, elimination, hangings, "Yes to femicide," "The only good communist is a dead communist," swastikas... On the other hand, it is worth noting the remarkable absence of references to considerable cases of corruption, shelved, without investigation or punishment. As well as total silence against the immense iceberg of tax evasion, which is now emerging in the HSBC accounts scandal, Swissleaks.

And it is because we know, both from experience in Brazil and around the world, where military interventions, coups, the spread of hatred, and Nazism lead us, that we must fight, confront, and denounce the egg of this serpent, which is fatal to our democracy.

Throughout our history, we have no shortage of examples of this serpent's seduction, ensnaring both the unwary and the well-intentioned. The March with God and Family for Freedom, held in São Paulo in 1964, was a precursor to the coup, and revisiting its organization, financing, and its banners and posters is profoundly educational for strengthening our democracy. (Down with red imperialism / Resignation or Impeachment / Green and yellow, without sickle or hammer...).

If you want to go further back in Brazilian history, just look at the headlines and the campaign about the "sea of ​​corruption" and the attack on the creation of Petrobras that led Vargas to suicide.

Therefore, we must highlight what strengthens democracy and what threatens it. We must act firmly in defense of democratic and peaceful values ​​in our country. We must publicize when society reacts to threats to our democracy, such as the social media mobilizations that saw the hashtags #globogolpista and #MenosÓdioMaisDemocracia trending on Twitter on March 13th and 15th.

It's always good to remember that democracy humanizes. Authoritarianism and dictatorship are barbaric.
In a democracy, there are adversaries to confront. In authoritarianism, in a dictatorship, there are enemies to eliminate.

In a democracy, respect for difference and opposing views allows both sides to change, evolve, and improve. In authoritarianism and dictatorship, hatred is the driving force, and intolerance of difference is a perverse agent that dehumanizes.

This applies to society as well as to personal and family relationships.

No to coups, no to hatred. Long live Brazilian democracy.
Humanize Brazil!