Conspiracy theories about Bolsonaro’s stabbing unite left- and right-wing politicians

Instead of focusing on the many crises ravaging Brazil, political elites spent the last week discussing the attempted murder of President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, during the campaign trail. The three-year-old incident was brought back into the spotlight due to the launch of the documentary “Bolsonaro and Adélio – Stabbing Brazil’s Heart” by left-wing website Brasil247. 

The film entertains the idea that Mr. Bolsonaro faked his own stabbing to ensure his election in 2018. Following its release, legislators and members of the Workers’ Party took to social media to defend this theory. The party went as far as interviewing the documentary’s director on its official YouTube channel. 

Indeed, this is just one of many conspiracy theories regarding Mr. Bolsonaro’s stabbing that have dictated the political debate. The president and his supporters have long argued that the man responsible for the knife...