Sorry Bolsonaro, dictatorship, your party’s lame…

The debate over freedom of speech, even with its distorted implications, has been something that many Brazilians have engaged in over recent years. For radical right-wing groups supporting former president Jair Bolsonaro, it even became an ace up their sleeve, allowing them to defend all possible points of view, no matter how controversial, including dictatorship. 

But freedom of speech in Brazil is certainly not absolute. 

Especially when it comes to supporting narratives that go against the fundamental definition of freedom itself. One textbook example is Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters and allies’ addiction to calling the 1964 military coup in Brazil a “revolution,” freely glossing over the 21 years of repression and torture that came after it. 

And this re-interpretation of Brazil’s darkest days was state-sponsored over the last four years, with Mr. Bolsonaro organizing official coup celebrations every year on March 31. 

The image of Brazil praising a military coup as if it was Christmas became highly criticized inside and outside the country. But this year, with Brazil now under the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, should be different.

Unofficial celebrations are sure to take place, and their engagement may be slightly increased by today’s return of Mr. Bolsonaro from a self-imposed three-month exile in Orlando, Florida.

But this March 31 will be different. Instead of celebrating atrocity, Brazil will use the date to remember its fight against dictatorship and the importance of democracy. 

• Go deeper: The Brazilian left wants to redefine the role of the Armed Forces

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