For the first time in the history of this country, those who led a coup attempt, in this case unsuccessful, were tried and convicted for their crimes.
In a country with a long history of coups and impunity for those who carried them out, these convictions are cause for celebration, especially for all those who suffered directly at the hands of these criminals and who hoped to see Jair Bolsonaro and his followers punished.
On the other hand, we cannot place all our trust in the Supreme Federal Court and must remember that the only way to ensure that the sentence is actually enforced is through pressure from below, mobilisation and struggles by our class.
The conviction
It was with four votes to one that the Supreme Court formed a majority to sentence Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison and seven other defendants for the crimes of violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, armed criminal organisation, aggravated damage to federal property and damaging listed heritage sites.
Convicted of the same crimes are Generals Augusto Heleno, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira and Walter Souza Braga Netto; Admiral Almir Garnier; and former ministers Alexandre Ramagem and Mauro Cid.
The news was greeted with celebration on social media and in the streets. The joy is expressed mainly by all those who have experienced first-hand the attacks of a murderous, racist, sexist, LGBT-phobic and genocidal government which, in addition to attacking our rights and encouraging the invasion and deforestation of indigenous lands, was also directly responsible for 700,000 deaths during the pandemic.
Seeing that they would lose the elections, they tried to orchestrate a coup plot to desperately stay in power. 8 January 2023, mirroring the 6 January coup attempt by Trump supporters two years earlier, was only the latest attempt at this plot. During the second round of elections, they tried to use the federal highway police to prevent people from voting in regions favourable to Lula, and when that did not work, they incited their supporters to block highways and set up camps in front of military barracks. Then they planted a hidden bomb near the airport in the capital Brasília, which fortunately failed, and planned to assassinate the president, the vice president-elect, and Supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes.
The mere fact that Bolsonaro and high-ranking military officers were in the dock was already a historic event. Military coups have been part of the country’s history since the proclamation of the Republic. The 1964 civil-big business-military coup installed a dictatorship that lasted more than 20 years. However, after redemocratisation, which was the result of the struggles of the working class and oppressed peoples, Brazil did not condemn the dictators for their crimes during the “years of lead”, as was done in other Latin American countries. The lack of trials, was an excuse used at the time in the name of appeasing the country and is now being revived by Bolsonaro’s defenders and the other convicted individuals.
The heavy sentences of between 27 and 19 years (with the exception of Mauro Cid due to his plea bargain), in addition to fines, are also a historic milestone and signal harsh punishment. However, we will still have to see if the sentences will be fully enforced. The vote for the acquittal of all crimes by Minister Luiz Fux set a precedent that opens the door for Bolsonaro and his defence to appeal the ruling.
In addition, the far right has been trying to push through an amnesty for the coup plotters, cynically creating the narrative that this is in the interests of those convicted for the destruction of the Three Powers Plaza on 8 January, but primarily to try to free the leaders of the coup. In Congress, representatives are putting pressure on the Speaker of the House, Hugo Motta, in every way possible to put the amnesty on the agenda.
Reaction from the far right
All of this is happening against the backdrop of Trump’s tariffs against Brazil and sanctions against Supreme Court judges, orchestrated by Eduardo Bolsonaro in an attempt to free his father from prison. Evidently, this has had no effect and has only served to increase Lula’s popularity, who is using the issue of national sovereignty against them to his advantage.
So far, Trump has not declared that he will launch new attacks against Brazil, but Eduardo is still in the US and is an increasingly influential figure among international far-right networks.
Nationally, far-right figures are already competing with each other to see who can replace Bolsonaro and win his support and votes. In the latest events on 7 September (independence day in Brazil), Tarcísio de Freitas made his most Bolsonarist speech to date, repeating attacks against the Supreme Court and defending amnesty for coup plotters, shocking those who believed he would be a ‘moderate’ candidate. Others, such as the governor of Minas Gerais Romeu Zema and the governor of Goías Ronaldo Caiado, have also been moving in the same direction.
These figures, along with others within Congress, represent the continuation of Bolsonarism with or without Bolsonaro. Sunday’s demonstrations were not the largest ever held by the far right, but they still managed to bring together 40,000 people in São Paulo and the same number in Rio de Janeiro. Even though this conviction was a defeat for them, the far-right project is still alive and is being reorganised. We do not know what the developments will be and whether there will be a more radical reaction on their part, but we need to be prepared for any possibility.
Fight to ensure conviction
We cannot wait for the far right to react to organise ourselves and fight against any kind of amnesty and to ensure that the penalties against these coup plotters are enforced. The Supreme Court has always been an institution of the bourgeoisie and serves to protect the interests of the elites. It was the Supreme Court that supported the parliamentary coup in 2016 and arrested Lula. They frequently attack labour rights, as was done in April with the suspension of all labour cases involving PJs (a form of contract that reclassifies workers as individual entrepreneurs), and are discussing expanding the use of PJs even further.
Furthermore, the crimes of Bolsonaro and his supporters go far beyond attacking ‘democracy’; his government was deliberately genocidal against the poorest population when we were facing the COVID-19 pandemic, refusing vaccines on the grounds that the economy should continue to grow. This policy led to the death of the last indigenous member of the Tanaru people. One could write pages and pages about all of Jair Bolsonaro’s crimes, in addition to all the racist, LGBTphobic, and sexist verbal attacks that deserve punishment.
Only the end of capitalism can bring true sovereignty. There is no way to defend the continued exploitation and oppression in our country, where LGBT people, women, children, migrants and black people continue to be the cheapest labour force for the profit of a national and international elite.
If, for reasons of self-interest, the Supreme Court and part of the elite have condemned members of the military and fascists, let us celebrate, knowing that it was because of the struggles and mobilisations in the streets built by the hands of the people who did not stop denouncing the criminals of history.
And the struggle must continue, independently, until all criminals pay the price, without allowing our agenda to be negotiated with the new and old right, because the solution they are organising for the next elections is not a solution for more rights and less inequality.
The reformist left is satisfied with the situation as it is because it means less chance of struggles, which they cannot control, breaking out. Lula and the PT use the movements to defend the party’s agenda, but always prevent them from growing, so they can focus on agreements with the right, which causes disappointment and apathy in our class. This leaves the way open for the return of an even stronger far right.
The only way to defend true democracy is to build a strong movement that restores and expands our rights, such as ending the 6×1 work week (one day of a week), repealing the fiscal policy that caps public spending as well as the labour and social security reforms, decriminalising abortion, etc. We need to organise and fight to stop the far right and finally consign it to the dustbin of history once and for all; to take the course of our history into our own hands!