Pro-Bolsonaro protests no game-changer, but the president remains strong

Temperatures in Brasília topped 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), with a cloudless sky, and dangerously low humidity levels. Regardless, crowds decked out in the green, yellow, and blue of the Brazilian flag flooded the streets of the capital and seemed more fired up than ever. This was a mix of everyday Brazilians — some bringing their entire families and pets — supporting a president they adore, side by side with extremists willing to do whatever it takes to defend their leader.

A speaker on the main protest stage talked about how far-right President Jair Bolsonaro — currently trailing in opinion polls for the 2022 election and rattled by a multi-headed crisis facing Brazil — is the only thing keeping Brazil from being run by pedophiles, communists, and atheists. 

These are some of the recurring adjectives used to describe political forces to the left of Mr. Bolsonaro — which, at this point, encompasses almost everyone in the Brazilian political establishment. 

Significant portions of the crowd were made up by sectors umbilically linked to Jair Bolsonaro — rural workers, federal public servants, and retired military officers. Evangelical Christians, meanwhile, were largely notable by their absence. Even so, three supporters gathered in front of police barricades, praying to “free the Supreme Court from evil spirits.”

Indeed, the members of the Supreme Court concentrated the ire of a large part of the protesters. And some were disappointed not to see President Bolsonaro arrive on a tank, ordering the crowds to storm the court’s headquarters.

“Those fuckers are holding back the country,” said one demonstrator who did not want to be identified. “I was hoping to see the city taken by riot vans,”...