Unofficial coup celebrations will be test of Brazil’s lingering putschism

Friday, March 31, marks the 59th anniversary of the 1964 military-led coup that ushered in 21 years of dictatorship in Brazil. During the four years that former Army Captain Jair Bolsonaro was Brazil’s president, the date was treated as a reason for celebration.

Upon taking office as president in 2019, Mr. Bolsonaro told military units to celebrate the coup in official events. He even went to the courts for the right to do so. Commemorations hailed the coup as a proud moment in Brazil’s history, and conveniently ignored the state-sponsored torture and killings that went on during the regime’s 21 years.

But this year, the first of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s new term, there will be no celebration of the date by government agencies. The announcement was made by Defense Minister José Múcio to the commanders of the Armed Forces, who approved.

Instead, the Lula administration wants to turn the page and make the date symbolic for different reasons, using it as a moment to honor the struggle against authoritarianism. Indeed, this March 31, the government will reopen the Amnesty Commission, which had been disrupted by Mr. Bolsonaro. 

Though the government will not celebrate March 31, traditional institutions such as the Military Club of Rio de Janeiro have prepared events to commemorate “59 years of the 1964 Democratic Movement.”

The use of such euphemisms regarding the 1964 coup is common among the military,...