Thousands of Brazilians flocked to a law school on Thursday in defense of the nation’s democratic institutions.
The event carried echoes of a gathering nearly 45 years ago when citizens joined together at the same site to denounce a brutal military dictatorship, reports AP.
In 1977, the masses poured into the University of Sao Paulo’s law school to listen to a reading of “A Letter to Brazilians,” a manifesto calling for a prompt return of the rule of law.
On Thursday, they heard declarations defending democracy and the country’s elections systems, which President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly attacked ahead of his reelection bid.
While the current manifestos don’t specifically name Bolsonaro, they underscore the country’s widespread concern that the far-right leader may follow in former US President Donald Trump’s footsteps and reject election results not in his favor in an attempt to cling to power.
“We are at risk of a coup, so civil society must stand up and fight against that to guarantee democracy,” José Carlos Dias, a former justice minister who helped write the 1977 letter and the two documents read Thursday.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
