At Brazil rallies, Bolsonaro deepens rift with Supreme Court

By DÉBORA ÁLVARES and DAVID BILLER
Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Tens of thousands of supporters of Brazil’s embattled right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro heeded his call and turned out at Independence Day rallies as he stepped up his attacks on the Supreme Court and threatened to plunge the country into a constitutional crisis. Bolsonaro has been locked in a feud with the court, in particular a justice who has jailed several of the president’s supporters for allegedly financing, organizing or inciting violence or anti-democratic acts, or disseminating false information. In calling on his followers to take to the streets Tuesday, Bolsonaro had stirred fear that the demonstrations could erupt in violence akin to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. But by late afternoon, there were no reports of any serious violence.