Demonstrators protest in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Flickr. Some rights reserved.
On August 16, we conducted a survey with demonstrators who were on the streets protesting against the federal government and the political situation in the country. We concluded that, at least in São Paulo, the demonstrators recognize that both the government and the opposition are guilty of corruption, despite the selective discourse of the groups that organized the protests. Also at odds with the right wing groups that are leading the protests and preach small government, the demonstrators support universal and free public services such as healthcare and education. This survey follows up on another one that we conducted at the demonstration on April 12, which revealed that the dissatisfaction and distrust of the demonstrators was not focused on President Dilma Rousseff and her Workers’ Party (PT), but extended to the entire political system, including all parties, NGOs, social movements and the press [1].
Although the distrust in the political system is widespread, the groups leading the protests are doing their best to selectively channel the indignation, emphasizing the corruption of the federal government and sparing other political actors, such as the president of the Lower House of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, who could be useful allies in an impeachment process.
