Brasília (AFP) – Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets Sunday in anger at moves by Congress to boost lawmakers' immunity and push for amnesty that could include far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted of trying to stage a coup.
As Brazil grapples with the fallout from the divisive Bolsonaro trial, which saw him sentenced to 27 years in prison, the conservative-majority Congress has come under fire from critics who accuse it of putting its own interests above social and economic issues.
Chanting "No amnesty!" crowds took to the streets in more than a dozen cities, including Rio de Janeiro, where octogenarian music icons Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Chico Buarque were due to perform a protest concert on Copacabana beach.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil's megalopolis and economic heart, a crowd packed Paulista Avenue, while thousands of protesters also gathered in Brasilia.
"We are here to protest this Congress, which is made up of criminals and corrupt people dressed as politicians, who are pushing for a law that protects them," 34-year-old environmentalist Aline Borges told AFP at a protest in Brasilia.
On Tuesday, the lower house approved the so-called "Shielding Bill," under which lawmakers voting in a secret ballot must give the go-ahead for one of their own to be charged or arrested.
Further stoking anger, lawmakers on Wednesday fast-tracked a bill seeking amnesty for those convicted over an attack on the seats of government in January 2023 after Bolsonaro lost re-election -- which could include the former president.
House Speaker Hugo Motta, of the centre-right Republicanos party, defended parliament's efforts as protection against judicial overreach.
Mayra Goulart, political science professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janerio, told AFP the "Shielding Bill" was a reaction to judicial moves against lawmakers' use of parliamentary amendments to channel resources to their territories, a practice which "guarantees their re-election."
These amendments are a key bargaining chip between lawmakers and presidents who need to get laws passed in a fragmented Congress.
Several deputies took to social media to apologise for voting for what has been dubbed the "Banditry Law," saying they had faced pressure to do so.
One state deputy, Pedro Campos, said he had voted for the bill to "prevent the boycott of important agendas" for the leftist government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The legislative moves were slammed by celebrities, such as Veloso, 83, who said on Instagram they "cannot go unanswered by the Brazilian people."
Brazilian funk star Anitta asked fans to imagine being raped or murdered and then "your killer can't be prosecuted without the authorization of his colleagues."
Both bills face an uphill battle in the Senate.
Lula da Silva has vowed to veto the amnesty bill.
He also said the "Shielding Bill" was not the kind of "serious matter" that lawmakers should be dealing with.