Get to know the head of state who was abused twice for not wearing a mask!
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro led a crowd of motorcyclists through the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday, leading to a fine for not wearing a mask.
The Sao Paulo state government press office said a fine - the equivalent of about $110 - imposed for not wearing masks in public since May 2020, has been applied to the president.
Bolsonaro (who contracted the Corona virus last year) was also fined for not wearing a mask during a rally with his supporters in May in the northeastern state of Maranhão.
The president waved to the crowd on his motorcycle and later spoke from a truck fitted with loudspeakers to his supporters, who wore helmets over their heads, but most did not.
The crowd cheered and cheered as Bolsonaro stressed that masks are not necessary for those who have already been vaccinated, which public health experts oppose.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, less than 12 percent of the Brazilian population has received two doses of the anti-Corona vaccine.
The Brazilian president has said he can count on police officers "whatever happens" as he once again seeks to court the police amid intense political polarization ahead of next year's elections.
He added that the state's military police forces were working to support what he called "my army".
"You are a reserve of the armed forces," Bolsonaro said. "I am sure that we will be together by complying with law and order and by complying with the provisions of the constitution no matter what."
With more than 480,000 deaths due to the Covid-19 pandemic and rising political tension in Latin America's largest country, Bolsonaro is seeking the support of nearly half a million officers in Brazil.
His critics fear this poses democratic risks as the police act as an unpredictable variable ahead of the potentially tense presidential election next year.
An opinion poll on Friday showed that former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro's main rival, appears to be consolidating his lead over the president.
Although neither has announced their candidacy, the 2022 election is widely expected to be a run-off between the two polarizing men.
During Saturday's rally, Bolsonaro hugged some of the police officers who were on tour safety and others posed for pictures with him.
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