Supreme Court Justice Celso de Mello sent a message to fellow court justices comparing Brazil's current political moment to that of Germany under Adolf Hitler.
"Military intervention, as intended by Bolsonaro supporters and other autocratic leaders who despise freedom and hate democracy, is nothing but the establishment, in Brazil, of a despicable and abject military dictatorship," he said.
"With due regard, the 'snake's egg,' similar to what happened in the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), seems to be about to hatch in Brazil," he said. "It is necessary to resist the destruction of the democratic order, to avoid what happened in the Weimar Republic Hitler, after being elected by popular vote and later appointed by President Paul von Hindenburg as chancellor of Germany, did not hesitate to break and nullify the progressive, Weimar's democratic and innovative Constitution, imposing a totalitarian system of power on the country, "Celso de Mello said.
Last week, Bolsonaro shared the video of an interview in which lawyer Ives Gandra Martins argues that the Armed Forces can act as a moderating power, in a timely manner, when there is an impasse between the other branches of the government.
According to him, the hypothesis is possible due to article 142 of the Constitution, which deals with the military's institutional role in the country.
The title of the video retweeted by Bolsonaro was "Politicization in the Supreme Court and the timely application of 142". Defenders of military intervention in other powers invoke Ives Gandra's speeches.
Jurists from other currents say, however, that the idea defended by Ives Gandra and Bolsonaro is misplaced.
The president and his followers began to raise the possibility after the Supreme Court passed decisions with which they did not agree.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon