A rally against President Lula and STF ministers took place on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo on Sunday (March 1, 2026), organized by Deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG). The event, attended by Flávio Bolsonaro and other opposition leaders, drew an estimated 20,000 participants and was dismissed by government allies as a failure. Inflammatory speeches targeted Alexandre de Moraes and Dias Toffoli amid electoral tensions.
The bolsonarista rally on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo gathered around 20,000 people at its peak, at 15:53, according to estimates from the USP Political Debate Monitor, Cebrap, and More in Common, with a 12% margin of error (18,000 to 22,900). The count used drone aerial photos analyzed by artificial intelligence software, showing less than half the attendance of the pro-amnesty rally on September 7, 2025, which had 42,400.
Organized by Deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), the protest's motto was "Fora, Lula, Moraes e Toffoli", targeting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and STF ministers Alexandre de Moraes and Dias Toffoli, linked to the Banco Master case. Ferreira stated: "The destiny of Alexandre de Moraes is not impeachment. The destiny of Alexandre de Moraes is jail", calling him "pateta" and "panaca". Pastor Silas Malafaia accused Moraes of being a "dictator" and corruption in the Master case, citing a contract with the minister's wife for R$ 3.6 million monthly.
Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), pre-candidate for the 2026 presidency, supported impeaching ministers who "break the law" and said: "Our target was never the Supreme Court, which is fundamental to democracy, but they are destroying democracy". Attendees included Romeu Zema (Novo-MG), Ronaldo Caiado (PSD-GO), Ricardo Nunes (MDB-SP), and deputies like Bia Kicis (PL-DF) and Carlos Jordy (PL-RJ). Notable absences were Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP), on agenda in Germany, and Michelle Bolsonaro, whose absence was lamented by Ferreira.
Similar acts occurred in at least 20 cities, such as Brasília and Rio de Janeiro. Government allies downplayed the impact: Gleisi Hoffmann (PT) wrote on X that bolsonaristas went to the streets to "emular besteiras"; Guilherme Boulos (PSOL-SP) called the act "esvaziado" and José Guimarães (PT-CE) said it does not affect the electoral race, while Lula visited flood-hit areas in Minas Gerais the day before, with over 60 deaths.
The event takes place amid polls showing Flávio as Lula's rival in the 2026 elections, with Zema eyed as running mate.
