Brazil Sees Mass Protests Demanding Prez Bolsonaro’s Impeachment

Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets of Brazil to protest against President Bolsonaro.

A slow roll-out of the vaccination programme has infuriated the citizens as several major Brazilian cities saw mass rallies amid the pandemic.

(Photo: AFP)

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

With chants of "Bolsonaro genocide" or "Go away Bolsovirus", tens of thousands of Brazilians have taken to streets to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed lives of more than 4,60,000 people in Brazil, the second highest toll in the world.

The protests are the latest in a wave of anger against Bolsonaro that has been going on for months now. The protesters are now calling for the president’s impeachment.

Bolsonaro had dismissed COVID-19 as "a little flu" when the pandemic began in 2020. As the situation in Brazil worsened, he opposed masks and lockdown measures, and the country’s healthcare system was brought to its knees.

As Brazil faced its worst phase of the pandemic in March 2021, some cities and states imposed their own restrictions. Yet, Bolsonaro continued to downplay COVID’s threat. “Stop whining. How long are you going to keep crying about it?” Bolsonaro said at an event in March. “How long are you going to stay home? How long are you going to keep everything closed? People can’t take it anymore.”

A slow roll-out of the vaccination programme has infuriated the citizens as several major Brazilian cities saw mass rallies amid the pandemic.