‘Foam that’s washed away’: support dissolves as Bolsonaro starts 27-year jail term

Brazil shows little sign of feared rightwing rebellion, with only a few die-hards protesting outside prison

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few hours before Jair Bolsonaro was ordered to start his 27-year coup sentence in a parking space-sized room, Arley Xavier stood outside the former president’s new home putting a brave face on his leader’s bind.

“It’s not over. There’s still so much Jair Messias Bolsonaro needs to do here in Brazil … No, it’s not over,” insisted the 21-year-old activist, urging conservatives to rise up against Bolsonaro’s imprisonment by flocking to the capital, Brasília, to protest.

During his 2018-2023 presidency, the far-right populist drew huge, impassioned crowds to the streets of cities such as Brasília, Rio and São Paulo.