Brazil: Football Fans Organize Anti-Fascist Demonstrations

Statement of Corrente Comunista Revolucionária (Brazilian section of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency), May 31, 2020, http://www.elmundosocialista.blogspot.com

Supporters from several football teams along with anti-fascist activists and various social movements took to the streets in defense of democracy this past Sunday, May 31. The militant acts took place in at least five capitals: São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba.

In São Paulo the act gathered around 2,000 people on Paulista Avenue. Prominent role had the anti-fascist sector of the popular club "Corinthians Paulista", including supporters of other rival teams, as well as militants of social movements.

During the demonstration one can hear repeatedly the cries "Democracy!" and "I'm not a sucker, where is the half dozen that defends Bolsonaro?!" (see video bellow) driving away at first moment the bolsonaristas who until then had been occupying the avenue of São Paulo every Sunday asking for the return of the military dictatorship.

But as it always happens when military police controlled by the right-wing governor João Dória-PSDB arrive, anti-fascist demonstrators suffered a strong police crackdown, while they protected the neo-fascist provocateurs. This also drew attention to the presence of a flag of a Ukraine's far-right and ultranationalist group named Pravyy Sektor among the Brazilian extreme-right militants. Days before a well-known far-right activist, Sara Winter, gave a speech in which she stated that "We must ucranize Brazil!"

What is evident with these spontaneous anti-fascist popular manifestations is that they are not being convened by the main left-wing parties. They are rather organized by voluntary organizations of the popular sectors, of youth, especially from the peripheries saying enough!! to the Bolsonaro government and all that it represents, enough!! to police violence, to racism and the growing attacks on their living conditions. And the big "unanswered question” is: where are the leaderships of the progressive parties and social movements? What are they waiting for?

* For the annulment of Article 142 of the Constitution!

* Build the general political general strike!

* Cancel all austerity measures such as pension reform and labor reform!

* Convene popular assemblies in trade unions, workplaces and neighborhoods!

* For the immediate formation of a broad single united front of all mass organizations of the working and oppressed class (PT, PCdoB, PSOL, PCO, CUT, MST, MTST, etc.) to organize a mass resistance!

* For a Revolutionary Constituent Assembly!