Brazil: Conservatives Turn Marxist May Day into Free Speech Celebration

Conservatives flooded the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday for rallies in defense of free speech and family values and supporting President Jair Bolsonaro for re-election this year, far outpacing the small group of socialists gathered in Sao Paulo for an event marking May Day.

May Day, or “International Workers’ Day,” is a global celebration of communism, sometimes masked in the West as a pro-union or pro-labor event but openly celebrated in communist countries as a day to promote the world’s deadliest ideology. In countries like Cuba, citizens face extreme government pressure to attend large parades and rallies in honor of their dictators. China typically holds a massive May Day national event and grants citizens a nearly week-long holiday but canceled those plans due to Chinese coronavirus lockdowns.

Communists in free or non-communist countries often use the day to riot. The conservative rallies in Brazil on Sunday reportedly resulted in no acts of violence or major police incidents.

In Brazil under Bolsonaro, conservatives have increasingly made May 1 their own, in part due to attitudes towards the Chinese coronavirus. Last year, many left-wing groups opted for “virtual” rallies supporting socialism and abstained from large gatherings, while conservatives took the streets to support Bolsonaro and protest local pandemic-related restrictions.

This year, conservatives organized their largest rallies in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, the largest cities, and focused on free speech generally and the case of Rio Congressman Daniel Silveira in particular. Silveira spent 11 months in prison after being arrested last year for criticizing the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF), the nation’s highest court, and calling for the replacement of its 11 judges, or “ministers.”

The STF itself arrested him and sentenced him to over eight years in prison, the loss of his seat and political rights, and a hefty fine. Bolsonaro pardoned Silveira, condemning the top court for violating the lawmakers’ free speech rights, but the Brazilian constitution allows the STF to review the pardon. Left-wing lawmakers responded to the case by threatening legislation to limit Bolsonaro’s pardon powers.

STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes – who has taken the lead in prosecuting individuals for “fake news” and other acts of free speech – said in the ruling against Silveira that Brazilians do not have the right to engage in “speech against institutions” or “criminal opinions” and only possessed “freedom of expression with responsibility.”

De Moraes has been responsible for several other affronts to free speech rights, most prominently ordering violent police raids on comedians and Youtubers suspected of supporting Bolsonaro in 2020 on dubious “fake news” charges.

Ralliers on Sunday displayed great opposition to the STF and Moraes personally, holding signs with slogans like “freedom has no price,” “STF – national disgrace,” and “STF ministers – COWARDS.” Others held signs reading “criminalize communism” and “yes to freedom, no to dictatorship.”

In Rio de Janeiro, one group of protesters appeared to be carrying a coffin with de Moraes’ face on it.

One attendee dressed up as de Moraes, wearing a judge’s robe and holding a toilet seat with the words “fake news factory” written on them.

Silveira himself made appearances at the rally at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach and Sao Paulo’s Avenida Paulista, thanking supporters and vowing to continue to fight for free speech.

“Brazil today has political prisoners,” Silveira denounced in Rio de Janeiro, referring to several conservatives who have similarly faced legal trouble for their political beliefs or fled the country entirely. “That is unacceptable in a country that demands democracy, that speaks of democracy, but acts like a dictatorship. Do not bow before state arbitrariness. Those who rule Brazil are us.”

Bolsonaro addressed two of the rallies on Sunday via videolink. To those convened in Sao Paulo, Bolsonaro reportedly emphasized that his government “believes in God, respects its soldiers, defends family, and owes loyalty to its people.”

“I will go where you are. I will always be on the side of the Brazilian people. I thank the Creator for my life and you for having offered me this mission to direct the destiny of Brazil, because good always triumphs over evil,” Bolsonaro said, according to Brazilian newspaper O Globo.

Bolsonaro’s main challenger in October’s presidential election, socialist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attempted to hold a rally in Sao Paulo as well but struggled with low turnout. According to the Brazilian magazine Veja, Lula delayed his appearance at the rally due to “the lack of an enthusiastic audience,” hoping the crowd would get bigger with time.

While the STF has attempted to imprison conservatives like Daniel Silveira for expressing opinions, it overturned a 25-year prison sentence issued to Lula after he was convicted of using public money to buy a luxury beachfront property. Under Lula, dozens of members of Brazil’s government participated in a massive corruption scheme that has come to be known by the name of the police action that unveiled it, “Operation Car Wash,” in which private contractors overcharged the government for infrastructure projects then kicked back some of the excess public funding to the politicians.

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