Brazilians slam bid to shield officials

Thousands take part in major leftist rally

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A woman reacts during a demonstration against an amnesty bill for lawmakers, at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday. REUTERS

(REUTERS)

Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets of major cities on Sunday to protest legislative efforts to shield former president Jair Bolsonaro and federal lawmakers from the courts, marking the country’s strongest leftist demonstrations in years.

The protests, organised by social movements, unions and political parties, denounced lawmakers trying to avoid legal consequences for themselves and Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to prison for a coup plot after his supporters stormed government buildings following his 2022 election defeat.

It was the first major demonstration since Bolsonaro’s conviction this month, with numbers rivalling recent right-wing protests against his sentencing in major cities, driving home the stark divisions in one of the world’s largest democracies.