Hundreds of thousands of people in Sao Paulo, Brazil, are protesting “against Lula's government and anti-Semitism.” This is what we see – according to those who share them – in various videos and images circulating on social networks. The look shows thousands of people dressed in green and gold. You see a lot of Brazilian flags, and also (at least) one Israeli flag. Although Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's statements calling the Israeli army's massacre of Palestinians a “genocide” were discussed at the demonstration, they were not the focal point. Furthermore, Lula's remarks had nothing anti-Semitic. These demonstrators in Brazil are therefore not protesting against “Lula’s anti-Semitism”.
For those in a hurry:
- Images are circulating of a demonstration in Brazil during which Israeli flags are waved.
- The demonstration was allegedly organized “against Lula's government and its anti-Semitism.”
- The demonstrators were called into the street by Bolsonaro for gathering in the middle of an investigation which should determine the possible organization of a coup d'état on his part.
- Lula said nothing that could be attributed to anti-Semitism, but only called Israel's killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians “genocide.”
- This speech was briefly mentioned during the demonstration, but it was not the focus of the march.
- Thus, in the videos, the Brazilian demonstrators are not protesting against “Lula’s anti-Semitism”.
Analyzes
Let's see a screenshot of one of the messages being checked. The description reads:
Today in Sao Paulo, Brazil, nearly two million people marched to apologize to Israel for President Lula's statements equating the Jewish state with Nazism. How is it that during the demonstrations in favor of Israel, there are no hooded and armed people with distorted faces, that there are no clashes with the police, that no stores be attacked, that no flag or puppet be burned and that instead, it is the supporters of Hamas who,? But this thing is strange.
The content also circulates with the following description:
Israel, Gaza, Brazil 300,000 people demonstrate on Paulista Avenue, in the center of Sao Paulo, to protest against #Lula's government and its anti-Semitism.
The crowd for Bolsonaro
The protests covered by the posts actually took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 25, 2024. The crowds invaded Paulista Avenue, one of the most important avenues in the South American country's most populous city , convened by the former president of Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro to protest against the progress of the investigation which currently sees Bolsonaro as the architect of a coup attempt which would have reached its climax, without succeeding, on January 8, 2023, when supporters of the former captain attacked power buildings in Brasilia, fueled by the belief – supported by Bolsonaro himself – that Brazil's current and victorious president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had somehow rigged the elections other. The demonstrators are therefore not protesting against “Lula’s anti-Semitism”.
Images of the event
The images circulating on Facebook were taken and filmed during this event. This can be seen by comparing them with the photos used by the newspapers that covered the event. In the photo of France 24, for example, the point where the two photos were taken is almost the same, with the same buildings on the right and left of the frame. We can also see the same sky veiled by ill-defined clouds which soften the sunlight but still leave some flashes of blue. You can see the Israeli flag as well as the blue umbrella with white stripes in the upper right.
Lula's statements are not anti-Semitic
All this happened a week after Lula's statements, which defined the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army as “not a war, but a genocide.” “What is happening to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip has not happened in any other historical moment,” Lula said, explaining his statement. “In fact, it existed: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.” That of Gaza “is not a war between soldiers and soldiers. It is a war between a highly trained army and women and children,” added Lula. The statements of the President of Brazil are therefore in no way anti-Semitic, since there is no hatred, aversion or allusion to an intention to fight. against the Jews is expressed. And these are precisely the elements necessary to define anti-Semitism, as the Treccani Encyclopedia explains. The demonstrators are therefore not protesting against “Lula's anti-Semitism”.
The demonstration was not against Lula's words
Regardless, the event, as reported not only by France 24, but also of BBC, Folha de São PauloAnd Euronews The demonstration was not organized against Lula's remarks, but to show the country the support Bolsonaro enjoys despite the ongoing investigation against him. Among the guests who took turns on stage, there was also Brazilian Pentecostal pastor Silas Malafaia, who briefly discussed Lula's speech, explaining that he did not want to defend Israel, but condemned the president's words, reading: we further. La Folha de São Paulo. Among the demonstrators, there were hundreds of Israeli flags, explains the BBC, but none of the articles reviewed in this fact check mention the word “anti-Semitism.” The demonstrators are therefore not protesting against “Lula’s anti-Semitism”.
Conclusions
Images are circulating of a demonstration in Brazil during which Israeli flags are waved. The demonstration was allegedly organized “against Lula's government and its anti-Semitism.” The demonstrators were called into the street by Bolsonaro for gathering in the middle of an investigation which should determine the possible organization of a coup d'état on his part. Lula said nothing that could be attributed to anti-Semitism, but only called Israel's killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians “genocide.” This speech was briefly mentioned during the demonstration, but it was not the focus of the march. Thus, in the videos, the Brazilian demonstrators are not protesting against “Lula’s anti-Semitism”.
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