Brazil elections 2022

Posts misleadingly share old Bolsonaro rally footage after Brazil election

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on November 8, 2022 at 20:54
  • 2 min read
  • By AFP Canada

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Supporters of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro have blocked roads and held protests following his election loss to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but a video claiming to show a massive demonstration is being shared in a false context on social media. The footage was shot during an Independence Day event in support of Bolsonaro in September, weeks before the election.

"Brazil protesting the rigged election," says a November 2, 2022 tweet shared tens of thousands of times.

Screenshot of a tweet taken November 8, 2022

The tweet also spread on Instagram and Facebook, while similar posts were shared thousands of times in French.

On October 31, 2022, Brazil's leftist leader and former president Lula claimed victory over Bolsonaro in the country's tightest election race yet. Tens of thousands of Bolsonaro's supporters created blockades on main highways and rallied in front of military installations in Brazil's major cities to protest the result.

But the video circulating online does not show such a protest.

A reverse image search using a screenshot from the clip revealed a tweet sharing the same video was published September 11, 2022. The post says in Portuguese that the footage was shot in Copacabana on September 7, 2022.

News outlets published similar footage and pictures of a pro-Bolsonaro rally held on September 7 -- Independence Day -- on the beach in Copacabana to celebrate the bicentennial of Brazil.

AFP published footage from the event and reported supporters had "flooded the avenue along iconic Copacabana beach."

Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro gather during celebration for Brazil's 200th anniversary of independence, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 7, 2022 ( AFP / CARL DE SOUZA)
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (top, R) greets supporters during celebrations to mark Brazil's 200th anniversary of independence, at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 7, 2022 ( AFP / Carl DE SOUZA)

 

 

On November 3, Bolsonaro urged supporters to lift their roadblocks, but fears remain that Brazil will face turbulent times until Lula is sworn in.

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