Video: Ele Não! Brazilians protest Jair Bolsonaro

Brazilian women led protests outside the country’s embassy this Sunday against Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right politician in the running to be Brazil’s next President. The protesters’ slogan was “Ele Não” – “Not him!” Since this video was taken, Bolsonaro has come first in round one of the election and will now face off against Fernando Haddad of the centre-left Workers Party in a run-off on 28 October. Bolsonaro has been described as Brazil’s answer to Donald Trump due to the overt racism, misogyny and homophobia which has characterised his campaign and his prior political career. He threatens massive and violent repression of “criminals” in poor urban areas, and is a defender of Brazil’s vicious 1964-85 military dictatorship, including its use of torture and sexual violence as weapons of repression against left-wing dissidents.

See below for a text transcript of the interview with protesters.

TRANSCRIPT

Interviewer: Can you tell us what this is, what this is about?

1: Today is the election in Brazil for President, and basically we are trying to stop that we’ll have our Trump version, who is a man who is incredibly sexist, racist, a misogynist, and so basically we are just here to stop this person becoming the President. We are not supporting any parties here, we just support the mentality of the left, who understand social causes and so on.

Interviewer: What’s the biggest danger of Bolsonaro for you, or for anyone?

1: So we live in an extremely violent society already, and we also face structural violence and other issues. He wants to arm everyone, he wants people to be able to buy guns. If you put those two things together, the immense violence we have in Brazil, and people being able to buy guns “to protect themselves”, this does not end violence in Brazil. We need education and political thinking and action, so people can discuss, why do we have this problem in the first place.

Interviewer: Could you tell us personally what’s the biggest reason for you guys to be here?

2: I saw the women here, the Brazilian women in London were organising this demonstration so I’m here to support them. I’m not able to vote.

Interviewer: You can’t vote from abroad?

2: No, I’m not able to transfer my vote from here, in London, so I’m here basically to support the demonstration.

Interviewer: OK, great. Do you think he has a chance, do you think he will win?

2: Yes

3: Yes, he will win. Maybe in [the] first [round].

Interviewer: If he does, will you be able to resist?

1: If he wins we are facing [going] back to dictatorship state, the military in the streets, we already have the military in the streets. He is disregarding racial tension, gender issues, social problems in Brazil. Those are not being taken into consideration, so everybody’s being marginalised as if we’re all causing disruption in society instead of understanding that there are so many people in the country that go through so many difficulties in order to develop themselves and [Bolsonaro’s supporters] are just privileged, they are just caring about themselves, there are women in there, women of colour. And they are shooting themselves in the foot as well.

Interviewer: Thank you, as well. Last question, is there anything that British people should do, people who oppose fascism and sexism, homophobia, transphobia, what should we do to help, or is there anything, solidarity, that we can do?

1: Address your colonial history, imperialism, stop taking this as if it’s something to be proud of. It was a historical moment, that generated (and still does) a lot of issues in so many countries in the ‘Global South’, so if you can – considering you have access to education/information and all these opportunities – you guys have to understand that as a part of history which is very present, and what this colonial mindset still does in countries across the world.