Lula, who is in New York to attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly, posted images on social media of the protests in Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and other capitals, bringing the total to 33 Brazilian cities, including 22 state capitals, which rejected both initiatives this Sunday.

“I am on the side of the Brazilian people. The demonstrations show that the people do not want impunity or amnesty. The National Congress must focus on measures that benefit the Brazilian people,” he wrote on digital platforms.

The protests adopted the slogan ” Congress. Enemy of the People,” criticizing the priority representatives give to proposals that benefit politicians over social issues prioritized by the government, such as taxes on the super-rich and income tax exemptions for workers.

The Shield’s PEC seeks to establish that federal deputies, senators, and party presidents can only be arrested or prosecuted with prior authorization from Congress itself, through a secret ballot, a process of popular rejection that would also extend to state and district legislators.

Critics charge that the amendment enshrines political impunity, as it would hinder accountability before the courts; which, so far approved in two rounds in the Chamber of Deputies, it faces strong social opposition, and its rapporteur in the Senate, Alessandro Vieira, has already spoken out publicly against it.

The amnesty bill proposes pardoning those involved in the coup d’etat of January 8, 2023, when radical supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro attempted to force an institutional breakdown in the country to prevent Lula from coming to power.

jdt/jha/ocs