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Brazil crisis: Thousands join pro-Dilma Rousseff rallies | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Brazil to show support to President Dilma Rousseff, who is facing calls for her impeachment. | |
Earlier, police used tear gas on anti-government protestors in Sao Paulo. | |
Several protests against Ms Rousseff erupted two days ago after she appointed her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as a minister. | |
Ms Rousseff is accused of shielding Lula from charges of money-laundering, which he denies. | |
Opponents who have called for the president's removal also accuse her of economic mismanagement and involvement in a sprawling corruption scandal in the state oil company Petrobras. She denies wrongdoings. | |
Lula: The most hated and loved man in Brazil | |
What the Petrobras scandal is about | |
Rousseff faces a perfect storm | |
Government supporters wearing the red of the Workers' Party gathered on Sao Paulo's Paulista Avenue amid a heavy police presence. | |
Many of the protesters carried photos of Ms Rousseff and Lula and signs saying "There will not be a coup". | |
Lula, who remains a popular leader, joined the protest in Sao Paulo early in the evening. | |
Organisers said about 250,000 people were demonstrating there, but authorities did not give an official estimate. | |
Smaller rallies were also held in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and dozens of other cities. | |
Hours earlier, riot police dispersed anti-government protesters who had blocked the same central Sao Paulo thoroughfare since Wednesday evening, when demonstrations erupted against Lula's appointment as minister. | |
Who is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva? | |
The nationwide rallies on Friday are the first time the government has massed the ranks of supporters since Lula was briefly arrested earlier this month. | |
They come after mass protests across Brazil on Sunday against corruption and calling for Ms Rousseff's departure. Estimates of the turnout range from one million to three milllion demonstrators. | |
Uncertainty over Lula | |
Ms Rousseff insisted that she appointed Lula, who had started to make overtures to stand for president in 2018, to help her rebuild her political base in Congress and fight the impeachment proceedings. | |
However, his legal situation as minister remains uncertain as the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the government's request to settle the matter. | |
Opponents filed numerous court requests to suspend Lula's appointment, on the grounds that it was unconstitutional and obstructed justice. | |
They believe the move was made to grant him immunity from money-laundering charges that he denies. | |
If appointed as minister, any charges against him can only be dealt with by the Supreme Court, which operates more slowly, and not by the judge in the southern city of Curitiba who is overseeing Operation Car Wash into allegations of corruption at Petrobras. | |
Ms Rousseff and her supporters accuse judge Sergio Moro of political interference. | |
Meanwhile, an impeachment committee in the lower house of Congress held its first session Friday and said it expected to reach a decision within a month on whether to recommend removing Ms Rousseff. | |
The process is over allegations that Ms Rousseff mismanaged the federal budget. |