Marchers demanded"religious freedom," warned against"communist" influence and voiced support for President Jair Bolsonaro, a conservative Catholic who has strongly opposed local bans on religious services. BRASILIA: Several hundred demonstrators marched in Brazil on Sunday to protest a ruling by the Supreme Court allowing authorities to bar in-person religious services under COVID-19 restrictions.
The"Christian Family Freedom March" came after the high court ruled on Thursday in a 9-2 decision that regional officials have the right to suspend worship services, at a moment when the coronavirus is killing thousands of people a day in Brazil.
People take part in"The Christian Family March for Freedom" amid the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, in front of the Brazilian Congress in Brasilia. Brazil's burgeoning conservative Christian movement is a key bloc of support for the far-right leader, who is up for re-election in October next year.
Bolsonaro, who has railed against stay-at-home measures to contain COVID-19, has repeatedly clashed with state and local authorities who impose such restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Brazil is reeling from a deadly COVID-19 surge that has claimed more than 3,000 lives a day on average over the past week - currently the highest toll in the world by far.Advertisement
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