Supporters gather in Sao Paulo to back Bolsonaro as he faces trial

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gathered in Sao Paulo on Sunday to back him just weeks after the Supreme Court decided he would face trial for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government after a 2022 election defeat.

Bolsonaro himself called on supporters to take part in the event on Sao Paulo’s Paulista Avenue following a similar demonstration on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach last month, when turnout fell short of what organizers had hoped for.

The demonstration comes as a panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court last month voted to put the former far-right leader on trial for his actions after the 2022 presidential election, which he lost to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

If found guilty in the court proceedings expected later this year, Bolsonaro could face a long prison sentence.

The former president said that Sunday demonstration’s formal agenda is to push for amnesty for people convicted for participating in the January 8, 2023 storming of government buildings in Brasilia.

Back then, thousands of his supporters ransacked Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace a week after Lula’s inauguration – an action the federal police have tied to an attempted coup.

A bill granting rioters pardon has been presented to Congress, and Bolsonaro says it has enough votes to pass the lower house.

In addition to facing trial, the former president had already been barred from running for public office until 2030 by Brazil’s top electoral court for his efforts to discredit the country’s voting system.

Local authorities did not immediately provide an attendance figure for Sunday’s demonstration.

(Reporting by Pedro Fonseca; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Nick Zieminski)