Brazil Boils as President Celebrates Military Coup

Adeyinka Olaiya, Sao Paulo/

More than 50 lawyers including several human rights bodies in Brazil have filed legal suits through the Supreme Court against President Jair Bolsonaro who called for the commemoration of a military coup in the country.

Bolsonaro, a democratically elected President has called on the country’s populace and its defense institutions to celebrate every March 31 as a date of structural revolution in the country’s political system, but lawyers and activists described it as indecent commemoration.

It is the date the Latin American country suffered a coup d’etat that made the military rule for 21 years. The democratic government of Brazil was toppled in a joint military coup on March 31, 1964, in a takeover considered necessary against the malpractices of the then political leaders of the country

According to President Bolsonaro, the coup was necessary as it helped in the reconstruction of the country that was almost collapsing. He said that it should not be seen or compared to any of the ones in Africa or Asia.

He, however, added in his statement that the military coup helped in restructuring Brazil for the better and should be seen in positive light.

According to the President who was a former military captain until he joined politics some 28 years ago, the 1964 coup that toppled the government of Joao Goulart was having the support of several organizations in Brazil including the Catholic mission, business and investment sectors, Women association, Labor congress, Civil police and the national guards with the support of the United States of America.

However, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rodrigo Maia had refused to show up at any of the events.

“I will not be a part of such indecency, celebrating the coup that robbed the nation of democracy; the coup that shed bloods of the true Brazilians, that led many freedom fighters on exile including my father who ran to Chile,” he said.

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