Much of Brazil’s current climate of political polarization can be traced back to 2013, when demonstrations against rising public transport fares in São Paulo morphed into a nationwide protest movement, as citizens expressed their general dissatisfaction with politics and the Brazilian state.
After an initial salvo caused the São Paulo government to cave and President Dilma Rousseff to announce a series of political reform measures, the protests were co-opted by Brazil’s jingoistic right-wing, who directed their ire at Ms. Rousseff’s administration.
The president was later impeached in 2016.
These movements relied heavily on the use of patriotic symbols: the Brazilian flag, the national anthem, and the iconic yellow shirt of the national football team. From protests calling for Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment all the way through to public rallies in support of then-presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian football shirt was an ever-present motif.
So much so that, in Brazil, wearing the historic yellow shirt is no longer seen as a show of support for the five-time world champion Seleção; instead, it is...
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