Brazil braces for pro-Bolsonaro putschist demonstrations

It was around 8:30 pm on Monday, September 5. Truck horns blared across the Brazilian capital. They were coming from supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro who were trying to occupy — with buses and trucks — the Esplanade of Ministries, a wide avenue in Brasília along which sit the headquarters of all three branches of government.

The demonstrators wanted to get ahead of the police, who have orders to block the avenue against vehicles ahead of Independence Day, September 7. The date has been a source of political tension since last year, when it was hijacked by Mr. Bolsonaro as a day in his celebration and used to stage anti-democratic events. 

In September 2021, the president’s supporters easily broke through police barricades and invaded the Esplanade of Ministries with trucks and cars. “Tomorrow we’ll storm the Supreme Court,” some said in videos posted on social media at the time. After a request from Supreme Court Chief Justice Luiz Fux to Brasília Governor Ibaneis Rocha, police presence in the capital was enhanced. Justices’ personal security detail was increased, and they were advised not to go to public places. 

This year, the chief justice requested that trucks be prevented from reaching the vicinities of the Supreme Court, which led local authorities to announce a special security plan. 

The pro-Bolsonaro crowd wanted to get ahead of the blockade on Monday, but failed.

Independence Day hijacked

Independence Day is usually celebrated in Brasília with a military parade that draws small crowds of local residents and federal authorities. 

Last year, things were different, as Mr. Bolsonaro led demonstrations in Brasília and São Paulo — attended by throngs of supporters who asked for the shutdown of the Supreme Court and supported a power grab by the president. At several points, the crowd chanted “I authorize,” as in “I authorize a self-coup.” 

In Brasília, Mr. Bolsonaro told supporters he would meet with the Council of...