Expat Brazilians launch ‘Geneva manifesto’ in defence of democracy

Brazilians from Switzerland have launched a movement in Geneva to support and defend democratic institutions in their motherland. 

The “Movimento preserva Brasil” was launched on Sunday and aims to build a broad consensus among Brazilians living outside Brazil in order to “defend Brazil’s democratic institutions, preserve the foundations of the country’s Constitution and promote citizenship”.  

The signatories of the “Geneva Manifesto” – almost 200 so far – expressed their concern about the political situation in Brazil and wished to show their solidarity with their compatriots during the Covid-19 pandemic.   

They denounced “the repeated threats against the Constitution and fundamental rights” and “the deterioration of the republican dialogue between the constituted powers and civil society”. 

“Only with the solidity of these institutions will we have freedom of thought, expression, social organisation and the coexistence of different political orientations far from authoritarianism, populism, intolerance and demagogy,” the manifesto states. 

The movement is also meant to serve as a forum where expats can share their concerns about the health, social and economic crises that Brazil is going through. The nine founding members come different walks of life and work as doctors, lawyers, journalists and IT specialists. They chose to launch this movement in Geneva because of the presence of the United Nations, NGOs and many other international organisations.