Movements and political parties hold rally in Brasília in defense of democracy.

Brazil Agency - Social movements and political parties took advantage of the sunny morning this Sunday (7) to mobilize their bases and promote a supra-partisan act in defense of democracy in Brasília. The demonstration took place on a stretch of the North Road Axis, on the eve of the event that the federal government organized to mark one year since the attack on the Three Powers (Executive, Judiciary and Legislative), on January 8, 2023.

Dubbed "Act in Defense of Democracy – No Amnesty for Coup Plotters," the mobilization was promoted by organizations such as the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT) and left-wing parties (PCdoB; PDT; PSB; PSOL; PT; PV and Rede). Vehicle traffic on the avenue (DF-002) is interrupted on Sundays, giving way to pedestrians.

In addition to criticizing what they classify as an "attempted coup d'état" and demanding punishment for those primarily involved in the invasion and destruction of the Presidential Palace, the National Congress, and the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the participants in the demonstration expressed their support for public service and opposed Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) No. 32/2020, which proposes changes to public service rules, including potential restrictions on job security. There were also mentions of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza and criticism of São Paulo city councilors who plan to establish a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) to, among other things, investigate the actions of Father Júlio Lancelotti, coordinator of the Pastoral Care for the Homeless in São Paulo and known for his work on behalf of the homeless population in the central region of the city.

According to the president of CUT-DF, Rodrigo Rodrigues, the main objective of this morning's event is to remember what happened in Praça dos Três Poderes on January 8, 2023, in order to, through reflection, "strengthen democracy" and try to prevent similar events from happening again.

“There was an attempted coup d'état through the destabilization of the powers of the Republic, with the objective of making the democratically elected government [in 2022] unviable,” Rodrigues declared to Agência Brasil, recalling that the episode at the beginning of last year was preceded by a series of criminal and anti-democratic acts. “There were attacks in the center of the federal capital, such as the attack on the Federal Police building [in December] and the attempt to detonate a bomb near Brasília airport. All to prevent the inauguration of the future president [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva], democratically elected by a majority of Brazilians. Therefore, we believe that the people responsible, especially those who orchestrated or favored this coup, including the military, need to be punished.”

According to Rodrigues, the national CUT (Unified Workers' Central) called on workers to participate in the institutional events scheduled for this Monday. In Brasília, the official ceremony was proposed by President Lula himself and will be attended by the heads of the Legislative and Judicial branches, as well as governors, parliamentarians, representatives of civil society, and ministers. More than 2 military police officers from the Federal District are expected to be involved in the visible security operation set up for the occasion. Other events in defense of democracy are also expected to take place in various cities, organized by entities and social movements.