At Brazil rallies, Bolsonaro deepens rift with Supreme Court

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BRASILIA – Tens of thousands of supporters of embattled right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro heeded his telephone and turned retired astatine rallies Tuesday arsenic helium stepped up his attacks connected Brazil's Supreme Court and threatened to plunge the state into a law crisis.

Bolsonaro has been locked successful a feud with the precocious court, successful peculiar a justness who has jailed respective of the president’s supporters for allegedly financing, organizing oregon inciting unit oregon anti-democratic acts, oregon disseminating mendacious information.

In calling connected his followers to instrumentality to the streets connected Brazil's Independence Day successful protest, Bolsonaro stirred fears among his foes that the demonstrations could erupt successful unit akin to the Jan. 6 riot astatine the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. But by precocious afternoon, determination were nary reports of immoderate superior violence.

Bolsonaro got a rousing reception from demonstrators successful the capital, Brasilia, and successful Sao Paulo, arsenic helium lit into the Supreme Court and Justice Alexandre de Moraes for making what helium characterized arsenic governmental arrests.

He declared helium volition nary longer abide by rulings from de Moraes, who volition presume the presidency of the nation’s electoral tribunal adjacent year, erstwhile Bolsonaro volition question reelection.

“Any determination from Mr. Alexandre de Moraes, this president volition nary longer comply with. The patience of our radical has tally out,” Bolsonaro said. “For us, helium nary longer exists.”

He besides told the cheering assemblage successful Sao Paulo: “I privation to archer those who privation to marque maine unelectable successful Brazil: Only God removes maine from there."

“There are 3 options for me: beryllium jailed, killed oregon victorious. I’m letting the scoundrels know: I’ll ne'er beryllium imprisoned!” helium declared.

Thomas Traumann, a governmental analyst, said Bolsonaro “crossed the Rubicon” connected Tuesday.

“He escalated the crisis. You can’t person a president who says, 'I won’t judge regularisation of law,’ oregon says, ‘I volition lone judge the laws I like.’ That’s not a democracy," Traumann said.

Bolsonaro spent astir 2 months calling connected supporters to instrumentality portion successful Independence Day rallies astir the state that could amusement his continuing governmental entreaty contempt slumping canvass ratings and a drawstring of setbacks.

Bolsonaro had predicted 2 cardinal radical would crook retired successful Sao Paulo; authorities information officials estimated the assemblage astatine 125,000, crammed into the city's wide Avenue Paulista. Supporters besides massed extracurricular Brasilia's authorities buildings and gathered alongside Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach. All 3 cities besides featured smaller protests against the president.

Some of his supporters carried signs and banners calling connected the subject to unafraid Bolsonaro’s clasp connected powerfulness oregon demanding Congress and the Supreme Court beryllium unopen down.

Bolsonaro has called connected the Senate to impeach de Moraes and said helium mightiness cull the 2022 statesmanlike predetermination results if helium loses. He has besides spoken nostalgically of the nation’s past subject dictatorship.

On the eve of Tuesday’s protests, helium signed a provisional measurement sharply limiting societal media networks' quality to region oregon artifact content.

Brazil's Supreme Court said Chief Justice Luiz Fux planned to code Bolsonaro's comments astatine the opening of Wednesday's session.

Former justness Celso de Mello, wide regarded arsenic inactive precise influential successful the court, told the mag Veja that Bolsonaro's statements amusement “a bittersweet figure” and a “mediocre politician” with a “distorted autocratic mindset."

In Brasilia, astatine slightest 100 subject constabulary with riot shields stood successful beforehand of Congress, and respective twelve formed 2 lines down barricades connected the roadworthy starring to the Supreme Court. About 10,000 officers were scattered astir the country for the demonstrations, information officials said.

At slightest 3 times — erstwhile soon aft Bolsonaro's 2nd code of the time — groups of demonstrators successful Brasilia tried to get past constabulary barriers, but officers repelled them with capsicum spray.

“The hazard we spot scenes of unit and an organization situation that’s unprecedented successful Brazil’s caller past inactive remains and is considerable,” said Paulo Calmon, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of Brasilia.

Regina Pontes, 53, stood atop a flatbed that precocious toward the barriers successful Brasilia. She said the Brazilian radical person each close to participate the area.

“You can’t adjacent the doorway to support the proprietor out,” she said.

The world's second-highest COVID-19 decease toll, a drumbeat of accusations of wrongdoing successful the government's handling of the pandemic, and surging ostentation person dragged down Bolsonaro’s support ratings.

A motion of disapproval came successful the evening, erstwhile galore radical successful antithetic cities banged connected pots successful a accepted method of protest.

Polls amusement Bolsonaro's nemesis, erstwhile President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, could trounce him successful a runoff if helium enters the race.

A 69-year-old husbandman from Minas Gerais state, Clever Greco, came to Brasilia with a radical of much than 1,000 different Bolsonaro supporters.

“I don’t cognize what time I’ll spell back. I’m prepared to springiness my blood, if needed,” Greco said. “We’re nary longer asking; the radical are ordering.”

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Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro. AP videojournalist Tatiana Pollastri and newsman Mauricio Savarese contributed from Sao Paulo.

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