Brasilia (AFP)
Hundreds gathered on Sunday in Brasilia to show their support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in quarantine after contracting the new coronavirus.
Dressed in the colors of the Brazilian flag, they paraded through the center of the capital, sporting patriotic symbols, crosses and portraits of the president, confined within the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, from where he exercises his functions by videoconference.
Fierce criticism of containment so far and having minimized the seriousness of the pandemic which is shaking his country for the past four months, Mr. Bolsonaro, 65, announced on July 7 that he had contracted the virus.
He said Wednesday he had a second test, which confirmed his contamination, but assured that he had no symptoms. The president also stressed continuing his treatment with hydroxychloroquine, a drug in which he has an unshakable faith but whose effectiveness has not been formally proven.
The demonstrators, coming from several states, piled up in several places on the main avenue which runs along the ministries and, if most of them had protective masks, many wore them around their necks or went with their faces uncovered.
Among them, Angelo Luis, an engineer. "Our Brazil is a Christian country and we support Bolsonaro because after many years (waiting, note), we have a president who is in agreement with our convictions," he explained.
Saturday evening, Jair Bolsonaro left the palace to chat with his supporters near the official residence, protected by a mask and remaining about two meters away.
Brazil is second behind the United States in the world in terms of the number of cases of contamination (more than two million) and deaths (more than 78,770) linked to Covid-19.
© 2020 AFP