In divided Brasília, some celebrate Bolsonaro conviction, others fume

Patrons of a bar in Brasília cheered and applauded Thursday as ex-president Jair Bolsonaro's guilty verdict appeared on a giant screen in scenes reminiscent of a football match.

"Bolsonaro to jail!" shouted customers of Pardim, well-known as a gathering spot for leftists in a residential neighbourhood of the capital of deeply politically divided Brazil.

"I burst into tears. This is a very important moment for which we've been waiting a long time," Sofía Araujo, a 20-year-old student, told AFP on the bar's terrace.

"I am very happy. Today we can celebrate because justice has been served," she said.

Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison after being convicted of plotting to claw back power from his elected successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva through force in 2022.

He was also accused of being aware of a plot to assassinate Lula and others.

Bar owner Jarbas Campos Pardim said he bought 80 cases of beer and fired up the barbecue for Thursday's hearing, during which the last two of five judges voted to convict the far-right former Army captain.

The final verdict was 4-1.

"Today is conviction day, so it's a day of celebration," said Pardim, 47.

'Rot in jail'

Near the former president's Brasília home where he is under house arrest, the mood was very different.

Dozens of supporters gathered for a prayer vigil, many waving Brazilian, US or Israeli flags.

"President Bolsonaro, we love you!" Rita dos Passos, 59, shouted into a microphone on a truck-top platform.

"Come back, Bolsonaro," read a banner draped across the platform – a reference to Bolsonaro's hopes of making a comeback in 2026 elections, despite his legal woes. 

Right-wing figures, meanwhile, expressed their outrage on social media, where slogans such as "They want to kill Bolsonaro" and "Supreme persecution," multiplied.

At Pardim, the atmosphere was drastically different. João Marcelo Lopes Soares arrived early so he wouldn't miss a moment of Thursday's live broadcast. 

"This September 11, 2025, is a historic day, a turning point in the fight against fascism," said the 25-year-old, sporting the red-and-black jersey of Flamengo, Brazil's most popular football club. 

"Despite strong international pressure, especially from [Bolsonaro ally, US President Donald] Trump, I believe there's justice in Brazil; we are a serious country," Soares opined.

Pardim patron Renato Alexandre Xavier, 53, prepared a parody version of Brazil's national anthem for the occasion.

"Pariah turned criminal, jail is your destiny," echoed one of the verses, which Xavier sang loudly, and proudly, in the bar.

"Hopefully he'll rot in jail, though he's already a rotten person," Virgilio Soares, a 46-year-old sign language translator said of Bolsonaro's fate.