Newspapers and broadcasters from different parts of the world reported this Wednesday (18) and Thursday (19) the relegation, during the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, of the Acadêmicos de Niterói samba school, which paid homage to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during a parade at the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome. The team finished in last place in the Special Group, with 264.6 points, and fell to the Gold Series.
Na Europa, a broadcaster France 24 highlighted the school’s downgrade and political backlash in sections that mocked conservatives. The French broadcaster highlighted that critics classified the tribute to Lula as an early campaign gesture before the October elections, in which Lula could be a candidate for re-election. The report also mentioned the representation of former president Jair Bolsonaro as “Bozo, the clown”, behind bars.
In turn, the BBC also had an impact the school’s relegation and highlighted that the tribute to Lula provoked controversy even in the technical rehearsals of Acadêmicos de Niterói. The British broadcaster also reported that legal actions were filed by opposition parties to try to stop the parade, but ended up being rejected by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
The Spanish agency EFE informed that Acadêmicos de Niterói did not receive the highest score in any of the items evaluated and received the lowest score among the 12 schools in the Special Group. Already the Italian ANSA highlighted the victory of the Viradouro school and recorded the relegation of the association that took the story about Lula to the avenue.
In Asia, the newspaper The Straits Timesfrom Singapore, citing the agency AFP, also reported that the school that honored Lula came “in last place” and that it became the target of criticism for mocking conservatives. The newspaper highlighted the representation of the traditional family inside cans.
In Latin America, the Uruguayan broadcaster Teledoce and the Argentine newspaper The Nation also reproduced information from the AFP emphasizing that the parade was the first to honor a sitting president and that it faced criticism from the opposition, which pointed to a possible early election campaign. Both publications mentioned that the Superior Electoral Court rejected requests to prevent the presentation, but warned that it could analyze possible developments after the event.
