In an event on Avenida Paulista this Friday (3), President Lula (PT) once again spoke in defense of democracy and sovereignty in his campaign for the Presidency in this year's elections, stating, without mentioning names, that the side of his opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), means "barbarism".
"They ended everything, and we rebuilt [...] We go to the polls tomorrow with great peace of mind, knowing what is at stake. On one side, democracy and sovereignty. On the other side, barbarism and corruption. We are working against gang leaders, against organized crime", said Lula.
The president once again said that it was during his government that former banker Daniel Vorcaro, from Banco Master, was arrested and spoke of orgies when referring to the case. "They [opponents] are scared because something new appears every day. All that's left is for the orgy participants to appear."
He also called on supporters to return to Avenida Paulista on Sunday (4), stating that he would win the dispute in the first round.
"We cannot allow them to transform Avenida a Paulista into a platform for the extreme right. Paulista is not for the right, it is for the Brazilian people," he stated.
The final act of Lula's re-election campaign saw tension with the police even before it began due to the obstruction of Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo.
The rally took place on the corner of Paulista and Rua Augusta, where Lula carried out a similar act in 2022.
At around 10:30 am, men from the Military Police approached the electric trios to demand the unblocking of Paulista.
There was a discussion between the operation commander and lawyer Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, coordinator of Lula's campaign in São Paulo.
The electric trios were moved about a hundred meters along Augusta, increasing the space for supporters on the street. Organizers of the event tell the reporter that there is still pressure for the march to go down the street soon.
Everything happened before the official start of the event with Lula, who arrived at around 11:20 am. Next to the president are vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB); the PT candidate for the government of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad, and his vice-president, Márcio França; the Senate candidates on the ticket, Simone Tebet (PSB) and Marina Silva (Rede); and First Lady Rosângela da Silva, Janja.
In the act, Haddad accused the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), of trying to prevent the demonstration.
The Nunes administration tried to stop the walk under the justification that TRE-SP had requested that Avenida Paulista, as well as other streets and avenues in the capital, remain unblocked on Saturday and Sunday.
On Thursday (2), the TRE-SP (Regional Electoral Court of São Paulo) granted an injunction guaranteeing the walk, but stated that no route could be blocked. The action had been filed by the Coligação Desperta São Paulo (PDT, PSB, PT, PCdoB, PV, PSOL and Rede) against the management of Ricardo Nunes.
Candidate Simone Tebet, Lula's former minister, also stated that "they tried to prevent the people from occupying Paulista".
"As long as you [Lula] are president of the Republic, no one will attack democracy in Brazil," said Simone at the event.
After the discussion with the police, protesters began to block the trio, refusing to get out of the way of the vehicle. The corporation was booed, and supporters of President Lula joined in against the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).
Folha asked the Public Security Secretariat what happened, but the department said it was still investigating.
In a statement, the PM stated that it follows the act to "guarantee the safety of protesters, pedestrians and drivers and preserve the fluidity of traffic."
In the decision that approved Lula's act, judge Maria Claudia Bedotti stated that concentration, displacement and dispersion should occur without occupying the carriage road on Paulista and Rua Augusta, maintaining a free corridor for servers, equipment and electronic voting machines.
According to the decision, structures, whether fixed or mobile, would be closed on the track, and the organization should follow the guidelines of the PM and CET. In case of non-compliance, the authorities have the power to immediately clear the roads.
