Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest government corruption at the highest levels, with both Brazil’s president and now the opposition in the firing line. Dilma Rousseff used to be a champion for Brazil’s poor; today the former Marxist guerrilla is a pariah figure, sucked into a corruption scandal
April 28, 2016
Sarah Allidina
For the past year, protests have gripped Brazil, with people from all levels of society taking to the streets to voice their rising anger with a tainted political class, against a backdrop of economic stagnation. On April 17, Congress voted to impeach Rousseff, triggering an outpouring of emotion on the streets, and a legal process that could drag on for months.
Her supporters have branded the impeachment proceedings as a coup, but her presidency may now be permanently tainted. However, several prominent opposition figures were also implicated in the Lava Jato scandal, suggesting that the turbulence in Brazil’s politics is likely to continue.
Photography by Tommaso Protti
DAVID MANUEL 23, LAW STUDENT
“I am against the Workers Party that has damaged our country for years. Brazil now demands a radical change and it’s time to move on. There are important issues like education and healthcare to reform, but we must find all the corrupt first, put them in prison, and throw the key away.”
PALOMA MONTEIRO DE CARVALHO 23, PUBLIC RELATIONS GRADUATE “We are here to defend democracy and protest against the political attempt to remove an honest president. The country is collapsing and we need a stable government able to do its job and take us out of an economic recession.”
LISIA CARVALHO, 59, BUSINESSWOMAN WORKING IN EDUCATION “It’s critical that we discredit this government and push for a revolution. After more than 14 years under the Workers Party’s rule, the economy is in recession; we have more than ten million unemployed; we pay the highest taxes in the world; and, most of all, the government is overwhelmed by scandals and unable to rule. It’s not simply corruption, but also bad management.”
GUSTAVO GOMES FRANCO 29, LOCAL BUSINESSMAN “The economic recession has made clear the limits of the government and its ruling class. The Lava Jato operation has shown the people the levels of corruption within parliament, and the president is the first person responsible for this - she deserves to be impeached. I think we are at an important turning point; a historic moment for our democracy. These people here together don’t support a specific party, they are protesting against the corruption.”
JOAO FIRMINO DO SANTOS, 58, ELECTRICIAN “The president has been accused without real proof and Brazil is at risk of another coup. Our democracy is young and fragile and excessive inequalities in our society still exist. But I am protesting to defend the social reforms made by [former president] Lula and the Workers Party, which helped millions of people escape from poverty. I grew up in misery and today I have three sons studying in university. We can’t deny these achievements.”
SEBASTIANO PEREIRA DEAGIA, 47, BENEFICIARY OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES “The impeachment vote represents a regression. The reforms made by this government and the Workers Party during the last ten years have changed the face of this country and improved the life of millions of Brazilians with major social reforms. I don’t want to see these conquests change because of an unlawful political process.”
