RIO DE JANEIRO—They were dressed in the yellow jerseys worn by Brazil’s national soccer team, many brandishing the national flag, others holding signs that read: “Military is our only savior!,” “Save the Nation” or “Intervention, Now!”
Hundreds of President Jair Bolsonaro supporters gathered despite sustained rainfall in front of Forte de Copacabana, a military base at the southern end of Rio de Janeiro’s famous beach.
Their message was crystal-clear, their emotions fierce and raw. One after another they expressed their anger with Sunday’s election results that brought Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s leftist opponent, back into power. The majority of Bolsonaristas regard Lula as an illegal president who should be in jail on corruption charges.