The September 7 showdown: Flávio goes on the attack, Lula plays defense

The opposition’s September 7 rally gave Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula the same raw material, Brazil’s institutional crisis involving the Supreme Federal Court, but they used it in sharply different ways. Flávio went on the attack. Lula settled for an official photograph whose symbolism mattered, but whose posture suggested defense.

At Paulista Avenue, Flávio linked “fora Lula” to “fora Moraes” from the opening of his speech. He turned negative coverage surrounding the Banco Master scandal toward Alexandre de Moraes, a central antagonist for Bolsonaro supporters. The senator has been described as an active figure in the affair, asking for money and calling the bank’s former controller, Daniel Vorcaro, “my brother.”

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my brother

The emergence of messages between Moraes and Vorcaro gave Flávio another opening. He also invoked André Mendonça, the justice whose actions energized Bolsonaro supporters, turning him into a hero for speakers including the highly popular digital politician Nikolas Ferreira. Governor Tarcísio de Freitas was the main exception to the rally’s harder tone. His speech was more measured, reflecting his ambitions for a first-round reelection and a presidential bid in 2030.

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fora Lula

Flávio’s own political vulnerability was visible in the speech, the article argues. He warned supporters to expect a “third stabbing,” referring to the attack on his father in 2018 and Jair Bolsonaro’s imprisonment in 2025. The article also anticipates the possible release of video or audio involving Vorcaro.

The senator borrowed language associated with the left, opening with “first of all, out with Lula and out with Moraes,” a variation on a slogan linked to Michel Temer after Dilma Rousseff’s removal. He also said, “there will be a Bolsonaro presidency, yes.” The rally’s closing jingle included the sound of an electronic voting machine, an appeal to democratic legitimacy that contrasted with positions associated with his father and that Flávio has both repeated and disavowed.

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fora Moraes

Compared with the previous September 7 event, the Paulista rally displayed fewer overt signs of allegiance to Donald Trump. There was a caricature of Trump holding the original Lula caricature, along with a few banners, but the dominant colors were green and yellow. In Brasília, Lula used that relative weakness in his opponent’s presentation during the official ceremony. The article ends as the troops passed and the ceremony continued.

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there will be a Bolsonaro presidency, yes