Brazil's President Bolsonaro: "An armed people will never be enslaved!"

On 22 May, 2020, the Supreme Court of Brazil issued an order that a recording of a private meeting of President Bolsonaro with his staff be made public.  President Bolsonaro uses impassioned language some might find offensive.

It shows what President Bolsonaro thinks when he is not in the public view.  The video is of a meeting on April 22, 2020.

The public exposure of the  video echoes what has been happening in the Trump administration.  The political opposition to Bolosonaro’s reforms have instigated criminal investigations into President Bolsonaro’s family.

The video is ambivalent about the investigations; both sides have claimed vindication.

The video exposes what President Bolsonaro thinks about an armed population. Except for the passionate use of expletives, it could be something written by George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, or Tench Cox in the federalist papers.

Here is the translation from the video posted on twitter. Some of the translation has been slightly edited for clarity.

Sir Minister of Justice, please. (MJ is Sergio Moro)

It was decided, not long ago, that you couldn’t handcuff almost anyone. (Refers to a Brazilian Supreme Court decision, that handcuffs were an abuse, unless there is a real threat shown)

Why are they putting handcuffs on a citizen that’s working, or on a woman in the public square? And the Justice doesn’t say anything? 

You have to f*cking speak! (talking about Sergio Moro not coming out against mayors and governors having people arrested for going outside)

You are going to be quiet?! Until when?! Or do I have to keep exposing myself? (The ministers should be supporting President Bolsonaro)

You have to speak, put it out there! Dish it out! 

You can’t put on handcuffs, violate a decision of the Supreme Court! And we are going to be quiet? Until when?!

They keep on humiliating our people.  And that is growing…
People keep pointing at me: “I’ve voted for you, for you to do something…”  “voted for you, for you to make decisions” 

And it’s true!

I couldn’t care less about reelection!

And we have to think about this, all of us. What these son of bitches want, Weintraub, is our freedom.

     (Abraham Weintrab is the minister of Education.)

Look, how easy it is to impose a dictatorship in Brazil, how easy it is.
The people are locked in their houses. 

That is why I want, Minister of Justice and Minister of Defense, that the people arm themselves. 

That’s gonna ensure that no motherf*cker is going to show up and impose a dictatorship here! Because it’s easy to impose a dictatorship here. Too easy!

 A f*cking mayor makes a f*cking decree, handcuffs people and keeps everyone at home! If they were armed, they’d go to the streets!

And if I was a dictator, I’d want to disarm the people! Just like all the others’ disarmed people before they imposed their respective dictatorships. 

That is when our demonstration, and I ask that Fernando and Moro sign the ordinance today…

   (Fernando Alveredo, Minister of Defense)

Because I want to give a f*cking message to these *ssoles, on why I’m arming the people. Because I don’t want a dictatorship here! And it can’t be postponed anymore!

Alright? It can’t be postponed anymore!

Whoever doesn’t accept my ideals, Damares…

   (Damares Alves, Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights)

Family, God, Brazil, guns, freedom of speech, free markets… Whoever doesn’t accept that, is in the wrong government. 

  (A message to his Ministers not stepping up due to not supporting such ideals)

Wait until 2022 Sir Avaro Dias? Wait for Alckmin? Wait for Haddad? or maybe Lula, right?  And you can go and be happy with them.

In my government, you are wrong!

It’s to blow it wide, the gun question here!  I want everyone armed! 

Because an armed people will never be enslaved!

You cannot find a more impassioned plea for the people to be armed, in the run-up to the passage of the ratification of Bill of Rights in the United States in 1791.

They say a person’s character is revealed when they think no one is looking.

This was a private meeting, where President Bolsonaro did not think it would be made public.

There are many reasons President Bolsonaro is called the Trump of the Tropics.

Support of power to the people, by having them armed and able to defend  themselves, is one of them.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch