Activistss and members of solidarity organizations brought their message of peace and defense of social justice to the celebration, which was headlined by the Pacotao bloco, one of the most emblematic groups in Brazil’s capital, drawing a large crowd to the city center streets.

Described by local media as the most politically charged bloco among those that enliven Carnival in the Federal District, Pacotao has been characterized by irreverence, satire, and social criticism since its inception in 1978, when it was created by journalists who used humor to confront the censorship of the military dictatorship.

Within the atmosphere created by the collective, a group of people joined in, carrying flags of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Palestine, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), as well as a banner of the Antifascist International – Brazil Chapter, to show their solidarity during a time of aggression and threats against these territories.

“Carnival is a celebration of great joy, but also of great resistance, and Brazil has always used culture as a means of resisting all forms of oppression,” Federal Deputy Erika Kokay, who joined the initiative at one point during the parade, told Prensa Latina.

“Today we are in the streets to say that great solidarity with the Cuban, Venezuelan, and Palestinian people is essential.

Another participant, Afonso Magalhaes, when questioned about his presence there, explained that he is a member of the Solidarity Movement with Cuba, which for many decades has been committed to the fight against the blockade imposed by the United States and the defense of the Cuban people’s right to build socialism.

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