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Last weekend, this country of 210 million people recorded more than 10,000 deaths and 150,000 confirmed injuries. This did not prevent the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, from continuing to criticize the isolation measures applied by the governors of almost all states, arguing that the economy and the return to work were priorities. His speech also contradicts the directives of the Minister of Health, whom he finally fired in late April, after his persistent disputes spread to the public.
In this context, Agence France-Presse quoted Brazilian historian and professor at Harvard University, Sydney Chalhoub, warning that “when there is such an overlap, a dispute over the public policies to be applied will only lead to tragedy.” He cited the example of the “cholera” epidemic that killed more than 10,000 people in Hamburg, Germany’s largest port, in the late 19th century. “The great European city was the only one affected at the time is Hamburg, because it was independently governed by merchants who rejected any quarantine action,” said Chalhoub, adding that “the economic interests of the political elite prevailed over the problems of public health, which eventually caused a much bigger economic disaster. “
Attracting fear
A survey carried out by the “Instituto Datafolha” at the end of last April showed that 67% of Brazilians believe that “social divergence is necessary to reduce the epidemic.” However, in recent weeks, Bolsonaro’s supporters organized demonstrations in various cities, with a presidential blessing, to demand an end to isolation. They strongly attacked the Supreme Court and Parliament, which have been adamant in obstructing the decisions of the Head of State.
In Brasilia, Foreign Minister Ernesto Araijo went so far as to evoke an international conspiracy to “use the epidemic to establish communism.” On several occasions, the Head of State himself seemed to address a group of his supporters in front of his presidential palace, without a muzzle, and he did not hesitate to shake hands with many. At the same time, the rulers of Rio or São Paulo are striving to convey the message “Stay home” to the bewildered population, whose adherence to the measures is slowly declining.
In addition to divisions over ideological issues, divisions since the beginning of the epidemic have bridged the gap between right and left, which peaked during Bolsonaro’s election in 2018.
A study by political scientist Carlos Pereira of the “Getillo Vargas” Foundation showed that 56% of people who support the right or center-right “agree with the way the president handles the health crisis,” while 40% oppose. “The more people are exposed to infection or death, the further away they will be from Bolsonaro,” AFP said.
Anonymous speech
“Today we are in a debate between democracy and tyranny,” says sociologist Deborah Meisenberg, from the University of Brasilia, adding that “we are in the shadow of an anti-democratic far-right government,” adding that some of its supporters agree with “fascist models”.
The pro-Polsonaro protests turned into attacks on journalists or even nurses who symbolically protested the shortage of health services. Researchers from the “Vecruz” Institute, a pioneer in public health research, also received threats on social networks due to the preliminary results of studies that questioned the effectiveness of chloroquine, which Bolsonaro considered a magic medicine.
Chalhoub noted that Brazil, like the United States, faces a pandemic with a president “acting against knowledge.” He also believes that the “insoluble” approach between the health disaster and the economic disaster is a “totally damaging” vision and can exacerbate both crises.
