Protesters in Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities on Sunday carried Brazilian and the United States flags, in an apparent reference to United States President Donald Trump’s support for a staunch ally. They also held banners with Bolsonaro’s and Trump’s pictures on them as they shouted slogans.

 Bolsonaro is accused of seeking to overturn the 2022 election won by his left-wing opponent, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil’s congress in January 2023, ransacking the chambers and attacking police, in violent scenes that evoked Trump supporters’ attack on the US Capitol two years before. A Brazilian general has given evidence that the alleged plotters also wanted to assassinate leftist Lula and several other public officials.

The prosecution told the court that former army officer Bolsonaro and seven others were guilty of participating in “armed criminal association” and had sought to “violently overthrow the democratic order”. A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. A conviction on that and other charges could bring decades behind bars for Bolsonaro. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and asserted that he is the target of political persecution.

Bolsonaro says he is the victim of political persecution, echoing Trump’s defence when the US president faced criminal charges before his White House return. Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew, reporting from Sao Paolo, said that protesters were thanking Trump for his support. (Al Jazeera)