More than a Million Protest Against President Rousseff in Brazil's Largest Ever Political Demo

03/14/2016 - 09h20

The protests against the Dilma Rousseff administration held on Sunday, March 13, occurred in all Brazilian states and in the Federal District.

Datafolha says that, in São Paulo alone, some 500,000 people attended the event - the biggest political act ever registered in the city, surpassing even the largest demonstration of Diretas Já in 1984.

The people on Paulista avenue on Sunday represent more than twice the number registered during the biggest demonstration against the president so far, which occurred on March 15, 2015. At the time, 210,000 people protested on Paulista avenue, says Datafolha.

At the time of the Diretas Já demonstration, which was held in Vale do Anhangabaú, the figure disclosed reached 1,000,000 participants. Calculations made by Datafolha years later, however, show that the region could hold 400,000 people at most.

Demonstrators protested for President Rousseff's impeachment. There are no records of confrontation, which was commemorated by the government - it classified the protests as "strong."

Police departments say that many protesters attended events in Curitiba (160,000), Fortaleza (150,000) and Recife (120,000).

Organizers of the event in Rio say that 1.5 million people were at the protests in the city - the police did not estimate the number of people. In Curitiba, the event was attended by 200,000 people. And in Recife, supposedly 150,000 people took to the streets.

In the city of São Paulo, judge Sergio Moro was hailed as a hero -the same occurred in other Brazilian capitals, such as Curitiba-, while Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB-MG) and São Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB-SP) were antagonized by demonstrators.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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