Bolsonaro with Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton in Rio de Janeiro, 29 November 2019. By U.S. Consulate in Rio – https://www.flickr.com/photos/embaixadaeua-brasil/45381679454/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74899892

The inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro marks
a watershed moment for Latin America, perhaps for the world. It is an important step forward towards the
consolidation of a destructive axis, well beyond Erdogan and Donald Trump.

The
Asia of Duterte, the Middle East under the leadership of the Saudis, the Europe
of Orban and Salvini. It is spreading like a wildfire in summer. 

With the elected government, the most powerful country in Latin America
embraces a political agenda that is accelerating the destruction of the planet,
destroying the hard-build multilateral consensus, undermining international
institutions, dismantling major advances in the area of economic, social and
cultural rights, triggering military spending and accelerating aggressive,
fast-tracked  privatizations at the
expense of the people. It is using the State itself to neutralize and even
destroy the opposition.
 
A passive attitude from the International Community is not an option, and broad
support from all progressives will be much needed to mitigate the damages,
delay the plans and help Brazilians resist the attacks on the most vulnerable.
To start the conversation, here I share five immediate actions for the first
100 days of Bolsonarismo:

We must help Brazilians resist the attacks on the most vulnerable. To start the conversation, here I share five immediate actions for the first 100 days of Bolsonarismo

First: Elevate the profiles of newly elected progressives. The Brazilian Congress and Senate is
welcoming for the first time a new generation of political leaders, especially black women, and the World needs to know more about them and their
remarkable efforts to democratise a traditionally exclusive and now alarmingly
threatening political arena. 

It is
important to have internationally recognized voices that can legitimately raise
the voice of alarm and denounce the abuses of the new Government. We can
support their teams and coordinate their agendas with the European Parliament,
establish links with the newly elected progressive Democrats in the US Congress
and Senate.

Help them get interviews and profiles in international media, so
they can be recognisable and voice their concerns when necessary. We can also
activate our own support network to amplify their voices. 

Second: Progressive Cities and local
Governments as spaces of resistance. It is important to reinforce the role of
local governments as spaces for political renewal, innovation and protection of
the vulnerable, in the face of extreme austerity measures and escalations of
governmental violence. Do not forget that some cities in Brazil are larger than
some European nations.

Soon we should connect progressive
Brazilian local governments with international networks that are fighting
against the 'nationalist international' agenda. 

The next round of local elections in Brazil will take place in 2020. It is a golden opportunity to
shift power back to democratic forces, producing an effect similar to the
midterms of the United States. It is also a real opportunity for political
renewal for the parties.

There is time to cultivate and grow a whole new
generation of candidates for young municipal councillors, with the potential and driving force to restore hope
and trust in progressive politics.


Third: Shielding the opposition, critical academics, journalists and the
intellectuals. While we should continue tirelessly advocating for Lula's
freedom, arbitrarily detained, he is not
the only one under threat. There are several targets for the Bolsonaro
administration, including, but not limited to, the landless movement activists
or the Workers Party (PT). 

Those under
threat include each and every person whose voice or even views represent a
threat to the elected government and its anti-rights agenda. 

The attempts of lawfare will continue and the
Congress will continue its efforts to criminalise the opposition, with
anti-terrorist laws, with direct and announced threats to freedom of expression
and academic freedom, closure of entire institutions, massive dismissals,
budget cuts, weaponisation of justice and imminent exile for many.

Political violence and impunity will also continue. The extrajudicial execution
of Marielle Franco is still unsolved, almost a year after her brutal murder, in
spite of all the advocacy and press coverage that political crime deserved.

Peasants are being murdered,
indigenous and landless communities are under threat of violent evictions from
their homes. The vigilantism and attempts to relax firearms laws, encouraging
its use non 'legitimate defence', combined with hate speech, will only worsen the scenario.

We must test our real commitment and offer our institutions as a refuge to those who might be forced to leave Brazil.

As internationalists, we must be prepared for a form of solidarity that
transcends the letter of support, gathering signatures from the usual suspects. We must test our real commitment and offer
our institutions as a refuge to those who might be forced to leave Brazil.

A
chain of concrete solidarity gestures could offer a cushion for those facing
political persecution. From our modest guest room or sofa to scholarships,
research spaces and research residences for Brazilians. We need to offer them the possibility to
continue the resistance from exile, without risking prison or their lives.

Fourth: International Watchdogs of
Bolsonaro´s policies and their effects on the economy and society. The newly
elected administration should face strict scrutiny from researchers,
journalists and think tanks.

Key areas to observe are military purchases and
cooperation agreements, privatizations,
megaprojects and policies to offer tax benefits. Producing data to counter
attempts to normalize the aggressive economic policies that the new President
of Brazil will impose on the poor are much needed.

It is highly likely that the
establishment press will try to normalise Bolsonaro if the beneficiaries of his
policies are large corporations and global financial groups, the 1%. Another
area to monitor and measure will be austerity measures, cuts to crucial
budgets, such as environmental, research and development, and reproductive
health and the potentially harmful long-term effects. 

Fifth: Zero Tolerance to regressive policies undermining human rights. The
Administration of Donald Trump is welcoming Jair with open arms, along with the
'nationalist international' in full.

The possible immediate counterweight,
considering the weakness of progressive forces in Latin America, is Europe. Europe must play a crucial role in
counterbalancing and holding the new administration accountable in Brazil, be
willing to sanction without hesitation if it embraces fascist policies and
practices.

We need a combination of intellectual and journalistic commitment against the advance of fascism, strict citizen scrutiny, international observation, solidarity and unity.

Likewise, Latin American civil society
needs to play a crucial role in preventing the countries of the region from
following Bolsonarismo's tide. The local and global stakes are too high, from abandoning the Palestine struggle for
liberation to possible military intervention in Venezuela.

While his capacities
are limited, Bolsonaro ambitions to play a role as Latin American leader. He can be
tricked into a useful idiot role and unleash a military intervention that no
one had dared to, with terrible consequences and only one beneficiary,
certainly not him.

That is why I am launching a broad call
of action and suggesting some starting points. A combination of intellectual
and journalistic commitment against the advance of fascism, strict citizen
scrutiny, international observation, solidarity and unity can show that those
of us who believe in democracy and human rights are more.