Tens of thousands of people demonstrated Saturday, May 29 in several cities of Brazil against President Jair Bolsonaro and his contested management of the pandemic, which has left nearly 460,000 dead and threatens to worsen again.

To the cries of "Bolsonaro out!"

or “Bolsonaro genocide!”, some 10,000 people, masked, took part in a demonstration in the center of Rio at the appeal of left-wing organizations and student movements.

The organizers had asked the participants to respect the barrier measures and distributed masks and hydro-alcoholic gel. Demonstrations were also organized in many Brazilian cities and in particular in the capital Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Salvador and Belo Horizonte. According to the G1 news site, the demonstration in Recife, in the north of the country, was dispersed by the police with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Vaccination slips in the midst of a massacre

Since the start of the pandemic, which he called "the flu", the president has criticized quarantine measures, promoted drugs with no proven effectiveness and questioned the effectiveness of vaccines.

Protesters believe that many deaths could have been avoided had the government launched the vaccination campaign earlier, which is progressing slowly and has suffered interruptions due to delayed delivery of active ingredients.

Demonstration against the management of the Covid-19 pandemic by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, May 29, 2021. © Douglas Magno, AFP

They also accuse the president of promoting, among other things, Amazon deforestation, violence and racism.

Bolsonaro at the lowest in the polls 

The rallies come after two weekends of demonstrations in support of the government called by Bolsonaro himself.

Its popularity rate fell to 24%, its lowest level, according to a survey by the Datafolha institute.

This poll also reveals that 49% of Brazilians are in favor of his impeachment, while 46% are against it.

It places former left-wing president Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro's great rival, in a favorite position to win the 2022 presidential election.

With AFP 

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