Thousands of Brazilians protested in the streets on Sunday as former president Jair Bolsonaro’s trial verdict for an alleged attempted coup nears.

Currently under house arrest, Bolsonaro was charged in January with organizing a coup following the 2022 presidential election, which he lost to current president Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro and several accomplices were charged with acts against democratic rule of law, after investigations indicated efforts to undermine the electronic voting system as well as the storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro supporters on January 8, 2023.

Rival demonstrations, both supporting and opposing Bolsonaro, chose Brazil’s Independence Day to protest as the Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling this week. Bolsonaro and his supporters have previously held mass rallies on Independence Day, including in September 2021.

Pro-Bolsonaro protesters waved Brazilian and US flags, appearing to support US President Donald Trump for his continued backing of Bolsonaro. In late July 2025, Trump issued an executive order declaring the “persecution” of Bolsonaro a threat to US national security, economy, and foreign policy. The US president also noted that several Brazilian officials have abused judicial power and undermined democratic institutions, unfairly targeting Bolsonaro with criminal charges.

Bolsonaro’s son and member of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Bolsonaro, thanked both demonstrators and the US President on X, stating that they are the “pro-freedom” forces fighting on the right side.

Article 359-M of the Brazilian Penal Code criminalizes any attempt to abolish the democratic rule of law through violence, carrying a sentence between four to twelve years in prison.