Thousands of supporters rally in defense of Brazil’s former president ahead of coup trial

Brazilians have marked the country’s Independence Day with duelling rallies in support of and against former President Jair Bolsonaro, days before the conclusion of his trial on charges of plotting a coup following his election defeat in 2022, Al Jazeera writes.

Tens of thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters gathered in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the capital, Brasilia, on Sunday, waving the flags of Brazil and the United States, in an apparent nod to President Donald Trump, an ally of the far-right former leader.

The US president has called the legal proceedings against Bolsonaro a “witch-hunt” and imposed high tariffs on Brazilian products as well as sanctions on the justices presiding over his trial.

The rally for Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo drew 40,000 supporters, according to a research group at the University of Sao Paulo, including the former leader’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro.