Tens of thousands of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro took to the streets across Brazil on Sunday, the country’s Independence Day, staging large demonstrations against the Supreme Court ahead of a verdict expected this week in his alleged coup trial.
Crowds dressed in Bolsonaro’s green and yellow gathered in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and the capital Brasília to denounce the court and its rapporteur in the case, Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Bolsonaro is under house arrest as he faces charges that he attempted to remain in power after losing the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; he denies the accusations and says he is being politically persecuted.
A research group at the University of São Paulo estimated roughly 40,000 people attended the demonstration in the metropolis, a figure similar to earlier protests this year but well below the hundreds of thousands Bolsonaro once drew at his peak. In Rio, demonstrators gathered on Copacabana Beach, where several said they believed Bolsonaro was innocent. "If he had wanted to stay in power, he would have been successful. Brazilians need to wake up," said former military officer Suieton Souza.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son, attended wearing a shirt reading "Bolsonaro 2026," even though his father is barred from running after a 2023 ruling by Brazil’s top electoral court that found him ineligible until 2030 for abuse of power. Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, a presidential hopeful, and Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle Bolsonaro also represented the ex-president in São Paulo; Michelle delivered an emotional speech in which she said her husband was suffering and expressed faith he would prevail.
Fewer Bolsonaro supporters were visible at the traditional Independence Day military parade in Brasília, which President Lula and his supporters attended. A smaller contingent of Lula backers demonstrated in major cities in defense of the Supreme Court proceedings.
The demonstrations unfolded against heightened tensions with the United States. President Lula, in a national message Saturday evening ahead of Independence Day celebrations, warned that Brazil "will not be anyone's colony," a remark widely interpreted as addressing criticism and punitive measures from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has tied a 50% tariff on certain Brazilian imports to Bolsonaro’s trial, called the proceedings a "witch hunt" and imposed sanctions on Justice de Moraes.
Organizers and participants framed Sunday’s rallies as both a show of force and a protest against what they describe as judicial overreach. De Moraes, as the rapporteur of the case, was a frequent target of chants and signs.
The Supreme Court's forthcoming verdict will determine whether Bolsonaro is convicted in the case alleging attempts to subvert Brazil’s democratic transition. The outcome could shape the political landscape in the lead-up to the next presidential cycle and intensify already sharp divisions between Bolsonaro’s supporters and opponents.
Reporting from Brazil's major cities showed robust turnout among die-hard right-wing voters, though analysts note the gatherings did not reach the scale of past mass mobilizations. The demonstrations on a national holiday underscored the depth of polarization in Brazilian politics and the central role judicial proceedings now play in public debate.