Thousands in Brazil Protest Gutting of Anticorruption Measures
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Version 0 of 1. RIO DE JANEIRO — Thousands of protesters fanned out on the streets of Brazilian cities on Sunday to voice indignation with political leaders who are trying to stymie anticorruption investigations. The protesters focused much of their ire on the politicians at the helm of Brazil’s scandal-ridden Congress, including Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of the lower house, and Renan Calheiros, the powerful head of the Senate, after lawmakers gutted an anticorruption bill last week. That move touched a nerve among many people in the country as Brazil mourned the victims of the crash of the plane carrying the Chapecoense soccer team last Monday. In a marathon session, the lower house rewrote the legislation to curb the power of prosecutors and judges guiding graft inquiries. The administration of President Michel Temer, who took office just six months ago after a bitter fight to impeach his predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, is showing signs of vulnerability over corruption scandals in its ranks and its inability to mend an ailing economy. While many protesters expressed disgust with Mr. Temer’s allies in Congress, the demonstrations also showcased how movements that were once on the fringe — like backing the restoration of Brazil’s monarchy or supporting far-right candidates and even a military coup — are gaining resonance on the streets. “Democracy is a beautiful thing in Sweden, maybe Switzerland, but Brazil just isn’t ready,” said Juarez A. Nunes, 76, a lawyer who attended the protest in São Paulo. “We have so many laws, yet try finding people who obey them.” Turnout was lower on Sunday than at some of the protests over the past year calling for the ouster of Ms. Rousseff, who faced charges of manipulating the federal budget to conceal mounting economic problems. Mr. Temer, while grappling with dismal approval ratings, did not seem to be in the cross hairs of many protesters. Either way, Mr. Temer, the leader of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, a centrist organization that is growing more conservative, is struggling to find his footing as Brazil’s political mood remains dour. Mr. Temer tried to avoid attending the memorial service for the victims of the Chapecoense tragedy, reportedly out of fear of being booed at a large public gathering. But after relatives of the soccer players killed in the crash lashed out at him, he changed his mind. His allies in Congress are facing scorn, especially Mr. Calheiros, who will stand trial in a case in which a lobbyist for a construction company paid child support for a daughter of Mr. Calheiros’s from an extramarital affair. Mr. Calheiros received the gutted anticorruption bill last week in the Senate after its passage in the lower house and unsuccessfully tried to accelerate a vote on the legislation. In a statement, he said Sunday that the protests were “legitimate and, if hewing to the rules, should be respected.” |