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Carnival Parade Honouring Lula Finishes Last in Samba Competition Amid Backlash
Academicos de Niteroi was demoted to second division after finishing last in Rio's samba competition amid controversy over anti-conservative imagery, said parade judges.
- On Feb 18, Academicos de Niteroi's parade honoring President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva finished dead last in Rio de Janeiro's elite samba school competition and was relegated to the second division.
- Amid technical rehearsals, opponents said the parade honoring President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva finished last and was accused of early campaigning, sparking backlash.
- The parade mixed tribute and satire by depicting President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's poverty and union leadership, while satirising conservatives with Bolsonaro as `Bozo the Clown` and a `preserved neoconservatives` family.
- Flavio Bolsonaro vowed to appeal the electoral court ruling last week, while pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker Nikolas Ferreira said on Feb 18 he would file a complaint with Rio's prosecutor's office alleging religious prejudice.
- With October approaching, critics said the parade's partisan content intensified political polarisation months before the October elections while Viradouro won the 2026 title honoring Mestre Cica.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Flávio Bolsonaro mocks samba school’s demotion after Lula tribute, says the “next drop” will be him
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Liberal Party, PL), seen as a potential right-wing contender in Brazil’s October presidential election, said that after the samba school that paid tribute to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was relegated in Rio de Janeiro’s carnival standings, the “next drop” will be Lula’s — and that of the Workers’ Party (PT).
A controversial homage to the Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ended up in the last place at the traditional carnival competition of the Samba schools in Rio de Janeiro.The school Acadêmicos de Niterói, which had already given rise to fierce discussions with its motto before the parade, got off to the second league of the Samba schools on Wednesday.The twelve best Samba schools choose a theme for the competition, which is the highli…
Carnival parade honouring Lula finishes last in samba competition amid backlash
A Rio Carnival parade paying tribute to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been relegated after finishing last in the city’s top samba school competition, as critics denounced elements of the performance that mocked conservatives and traditional family values.
The group, which presented a theme criticizing its opponents, finished in 12th place.
Aggression ended this Thursday 18 in 12th place, with 264.6 points
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