Brazil’s installed socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sought to project national unity on Saturday during Independence Day with a military parade through the capital.
But hardly anyone attended the event!
Under the slogan “Democracy, Sovereignty and Unity,” Lula’s government aimed to show a united front with the country’s military as 3,000 troops marched past the president and cabinet ministers in a display of pageantry on the central promenade of Sao Paulo, with the mainstream media boasting an attendance of 30,000 people.
But conspicuous footage from the event appears to show far fewer people in attendance during Lula’s cavalcade procession.
Desfile de 7 de Setembro em Brasília tem baixa adesão do público.
— Metrópoles (@Metropoles) September 7, 2024
Áreas na Praça dos Três Poderes destinadas a quem quisesse acompanhar o evento ficaram esvaziadas.
Público que compareceu se concentrou em arquibancadas cobertas na Esplanada dos Ministérios.
Assista ▶️ pic.twitter.com/BPalyYtCIC
📍Brasília, 7 de setembro 2024
— Jamile DeSouza-Davies (@JamileDavies) September 7, 2024
🇬🇧Lula and the army forces are ‘celebrating’ Independence Day in Brasília, capital of Brazil.
Without the brazilian people to support him, Lula shows once again that he has nothing other than the ‘mainstream media’ and politicians that have sold… pic.twitter.com/F62CQbPq0W
🚨AGORA – Lula, Alexandre de Moraes, Pacheco e Barroso juntos nos desfile de 07 de Setembro em Brasília!
— SPACE LIBERDADE (@NewsLiberdade) September 7, 2024
Todo o “grupo” reunido para acabar com o Brasil. pic.twitter.com/OkdkUXO0ml
Perhaps that was because tens of thousands of Brazilians, led by former President Jair Bolsonaro, instead took to the streets of Sao Paulo to protest against the socialist government’s crackdown on free speech after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes banned the X platform in the country.
Incredible.
— PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) September 8, 2024
Nobody turned out to watch Socialist President Lula's parade.
Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of Brazilians were protesting for freedom.
People are rejecting tyranny 👇pic.twitter.com/vyLA0x6SGz
Corrupt Brazilian President Lula had a parade today where nobody showed up. At the same time, Bolsonaro organized a protest and the crowds are unbelievable. What a contrast! Bolsonaro still has the love of the people. pic.twitter.com/khKOFgxJdl
— Nevs (@Nevstv) September 7, 2024
See this, world! 2 videos:
— Fato Aleatório (@fatoaleatorio) September 7, 2024
1 – Military parade, with President Lula, of Brazil. There is no public, no one wants to go.
2 – No parade. Just the Brazilian people, crying out for freedom. Show this to your people, to your country.
Communism = rotten. Don't flirt with him.… pic.twitter.com/0ktjGVgqzX
🇧🇷 While Lula’s Independence Parade in Brasília barely attracted a handful of people, São Paulo was packed with massive crowds as far as the eye could see.
— Dr. Simon Goddek (@goddeketal) September 8, 2024
Brazilians are standing strong for freedom, not authoritarianism.
VIVA A LIBERDADE! pic.twitter.com/Ofu5ecYg2Y
The huge protests received little to no coverage in the Western media, but a number of intrepid reporters, including Michael Shellenberger, documented the protest.
Shellenberger said the protest was “without a doubt one of the largest free speech protests in history.”
Despite the government’s ban of Elon Musk’s X, the platform remains the #1 news app in Brazil.
Not bad, given the circumstances https://t.co/UpLYsJ8TpY
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 8, 2024
