Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro greeted hundreds of supporters - and joined some in a series of push-ups - who gathered before the presidential offices Sunday to back his open-the-economy drive even as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the country, reports AP.
Demonstrators in Brasilia and Sao Paulo defied local stay-at-home orders to join the pro-Bolsonaro rallies at a time when the president is facing increasing pressure over his handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 15,000 Brazilians.
"We hope to be free of this question soon, for the good of all of us," Bolsonaro told the crowd in Brasilia. "Brazil will come back stronger."
Bolsonaro later invited a group of about 20 paratroopers, who were taking part in the protest, to join him on the stoop of the presidential office. The men, wearing camouflage trousers, black Bolsonaro t-shirts and red berets, swore allegiance to the president and his family, stretching their right arms, before some joined him in a series of push-ups.
Supporters have gathered daily at the presidential residence, with larger crowds turning out on weekends.
Among the protesters Sunday were members of "the 300 from Brazil," a group of fierce Bolsonaro supporters who have been
camping outside the presidential offices to defend the president against a possible coup since the beginning of May.
