100,000 March on Rio Legislative Building

100,000 March on Rio Legislative Building

The New York Times

Currently 100,000 Brazilians are marching in protest in order to occupy the Legislative Assembly of the state of Rio de Janeiro at Palácio Tiradentes.

The gathering began earlier today with around 500 people and quickly grew to 100,000 within a span of six hours. The rapid increase in protestors are can be credited to the speeches given by former President Fernando Cardoso and Chief Prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol.

Former President Cardoso’s speech was relatively democratic, as the political leader spoke eloquently on the issues of community within trying times, peace, and the ability for change, but the protesters refused to let his cordial address continue.

Within the crowd a single protester verbalized what many were thinking, “we’ve got to make change!”

Upon this declaration Cardoso was unable to gain control of the crowd as they began chanting for change. As Cardoso was unable to rein the protestors in, Chief Prosecutor of Brazil, Deltan Dallagnol, attempted himself to calm the crowd with a rousing speech.

Dallagnol wished to go “immediately, personally, to the protests to give a speech in order to provide the people with leadership so that the protest does not spiral out of control.”

"We're here to take this great country back from a small group of corrupt leaders that have used this nation and its brave people as their personal piggy bank,” Dallangnol said. “I have fought for the people all my life. I fight for the people now. We demand that Acting President Temer immediately step down and allow new elections to take place so that the people's voice may be heard."

With these declarations, and the support of the crowd, Dallangnol resolved to take the protesters to march on the city center in order to occupy the legislative assembly.

Dallangnol said he wished to "lead from the front as a man of the people so that together [they] can demand that the government immediately hold new presidential elections."

Although the number of protesters soon grew from 500 to 25,000 to 100,000 protesters, Dallangnol has somehow managed to keep the crowd remarkably under control. How exactly he is performing that task is still a mystery, but the protests have continued to remain peaceful.

Updates on this march are incoming.