Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Millions in Brazil join rally in Sao Paulo in support of Israel.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Israel Brazil rally Sao Paulo”, which led us to multiple reports, seen here, here and here, stating that tens of thousands of Brazilians had rallied in support of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro amid a probe into allegations that he tried to orchestrate a coup following his election loss in 2022.
“Bolsonaro, who called the rally in Sao Paulo after being targeted by a police raid earlier this month, denied the coup charges on Sunday and hit out an election ban that has seen him barred from seeking office for eight years,” read an Al Jazeera report, dated February 26, 2024, adding that Bolsonaro and his supporters also waved Israeli flags at the protest, in a rejection of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s recent remarks comparing Israel’s offensive in Gaza to the Holocaust. The sea of yellow also indicates that the demonstration was not primarily a pro-Israel rally.
We saw that the same video was tweeted out by Bolsonaro on February 26, 2024, with the caption, translated from Portuguese, reading, “Brazil, Promised Land”.
We then came across this BBC Brasil report, dated February 26, 2024, quoting experts who stated that Bolsonaro was using images of crowds of supporters to try to contradict election results or results from research institutes
“Bolsonaro uses crowd images to counter the numbers — whether from the election or from research institutes — because his thesis is that the elections were rigged, and he has no evidence of fraud at all,” professor of public policy management at the University of São Paulo (USP) Pablo Ortellado reportedly tells BBC News Brasil, which further confirms that the rally was a show of strength by the former president.
We also came across this Snopes report, dated February 26, 2024, stating that the viral video shows a rally held on February 25, 2024, in São Paulo, in support of Bolsonaro. According to the report, although some participants of the protest waved Israeli flags, including Bolsonaro, it was not the central focus of the event. “In other words, the crowd did not gather with the sole purpose of showing solidarity with Israel, despite the footage’s framing by social media posts. Some participants, including Bolsonaro, waved Israeli flags not only as a gesture of support for its actions in Gaza but also as a symbol of defiance against da Silva and his comments comparing the Israeli military to Nazi Germany,” read the report.
Also Read: Anushka Sharma With Her Newborn Son? No, Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Images
Result: Partly False
Sources
Al Jazeera report, February 26, 2024
Tweet, Jair Bolsonaro, February 26, 2024
BBC Brasil report, February 26, 2024
Snopes report, February 26, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
