Neither Meta nor the mainstream media: we know what the choice will be on the 25th!
Al.ien.a.tion is the process by which worker loses control over what it produces, and in doing so becomes disconnected from its humanity, its history, and its social relations. Perhaps this is the word that best explains the current political and electoral moment we are experiencing in Brazil. After all, how can we explain that university students receiving scholarships are announcing their support for Bolsonarism, the very group which has already cut their scholarships? Or understand why public servants vote for the same party that undermines their rights and privatises their jobs? Or even how those who make a living by selling their labour choose policies that dismantle social programs?
It is amid the discouragement generated by capitalism itself that the fascist far right is on the rise in Brazil. It has grown so much that it has taken over the so-called “centrão” and co-opted several prominent figures in national politics. But what are they selling? Nothing but unbridled and insane hatred. Their agenda is to dismantle the system, for the benefit of a privileged group of politicians and their friends. Millions of people voted for that agenda in the first round.
Upon examining Flávio Bolsonaro’s government platform, we found no mention of the words “hunger,” “agroecology,” or “family farming.” In fact, the focus on the environment is peculiar; in their own words: “environment: Brazil’s green asset.” An incredible government platform that claims to do everything without explaining how to reconcile the irreconcilable in this country. It asserts that it will support the forest peoples and preserve their “autonomy” to make decisions – coming from a party that attempted to repeal ILO Convention No. 169, thereby stripping indigenous peoples and traditional communities of their right to consultation.
Pages and pages of fallacies written to sell their project and promote chaos. Upon closer inspection, we can see that Flávio claims he will protect the Amazon from crime, even though he is the heir to his father’s legacy – a legacy that included Ricardo Salles, the Environment Minister who authorised deforestation. Let us recall the effects of allowing artisanal mining and its consequences for the entire Yanomami territory. Bolsonarism is a project that is hostile to the environment and nature, one that reinforces a colonialist view of the countryside, the waters, and the forests.
Don’t take us for fools. Half of Bolsonaro’s direct supporters are implicated in allegations of sexual crimes, domestic violence, and other offences. It’s sad that we, as feminists, are alive to witness a young woman elected to Congress claim that femicide does not exist in this country. In fact, that person lives in an online bubble that prevents her from accessing books to learn that Brazil is experiencing record numbers of deaths of women simply because they are women, with more than 1,571 cases in 2025 alone.
A government program that aims to protect women in order to strengthen families takes years of feminist struggle to overcome the gendered division of labour within the home. The “Brazil for women” initiative focuses on digital inclusion. Among its measures is a plan to provide internet access. As for domestic violence, we will feel safe because we will hold the title deed to our homes in our own names. That’s because, with that deed, we will be protected from break-ins, beatings, weapons, and rape. A text that mentions “domestic violence” only once.
And for you, indigenous peoples and quilombolas, the Bolsonarist project has limited you to three references to your lands, regarding decisions on productive activities on those lands. Let’s recall it is a text that makes no mention of family farming or agroecology but calls for greater flexibility in environmental licensing. That raises the question: when will this autonomy be granted, and what form will it take? It is also important to note, on the other hand, that there is explicit mention of the Ferrogrão project, the waterways on the Tapajós River, large-scale mining, and the expansion of production chains in the North of the country.
Their proposal is clear: sovereignty is just leftist rhetoric, an ideological viewpoint. Because true sovereignty means opening up markets. So, when all our rare earth minerals, forests, and waters are in the hands of the U.S. and Trump’s greed, very little will remain for our autonomy. And we workers are left with nothing more than to serve as a (nearly slave-like) labour force for interests that are always external.
Also, the issue of the right to the city. Cities are definitely the responsibility of their mayors, as was the case during the pandemic, and Bolsonarism understands nothing about federalism. For a government plan that regards flooding as one of the Northeast’s problems, it goes without saying that there will be no national integration project beyond the logistics corridors for agriculture and mining. Even against the backdrop of the climate crisis, the plan makes no mention whatsoever of disasters, aside from that one incredibly brief reference to the climate.
On the other side, we have the man who has saved this country from famine time and again. Who, upon his return to power in 2023, reinstated more than 75 federal programs that had been eliminated, sidelined, or marginalised by the Bolsonaro administration. It’s not a difficult choice. Take a look inside your fridge today, and think about what it was like during the pandemic. Do you remember the queues at public hospitals? The queues for getting bones? The vaccine shortage?
You don’t need social media or Big Tech to dictate what you think. You are the Brazilian people; your history and your hard work are your memory. It is your suffering that teaches you. Under which government did you experience the best years of your life? When did our country grow exponentially? Make no mistake: all that sexists, extremists, fascists, and those in power want is for you to think you need them to live well, when in fact they need you.
Last week we made history. The working class, students, and women took to the streets to fight so that we can continue to live in a country where our rights are protected. To defend the Constitution and democratic guarantees. To defend the independence of the judiciary, especially at a time when the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) is acting in its own interests.
And not to say that we don’t proclaim hope. Long live the boldness of a pharmacy clerk who, attuned to the reality around him, was able to spearhead a movement to end the 6×1 work schedule and achieve what is one of the greatest victories for the working class in the country. A job befitting their dignity, a committed congresswoman, and a class-conscious president are transforming the lives of thousands of Brazilians.
Amigas da Terra Brasil
