{"id":84396,"date":"2026-10-21T19:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T22:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=84396"},"modified":"2026-10-22T20:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T23:45:16","slug":"grassroots-movements-across-the-state-of-rio-held-300-pro-democracy-rallies-this-month-show-voicesfromsocialmedia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=84396","title":{"rendered":"Grassroots Movements Across the State of Rio Held 300 Pro-Democracy Rallies This Month, Show #VoicesFromSocialMedia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Residents<\/a>
Residents of Mar\u00e9 marching in defense of democracy. Photo: Rat\u00e3o Diniz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This article is part of a series on the 2026 Brazilian elections<\/a>, focusing on the perspectives of Greater Rio\u2019s favelas. It is also part of RioOnWatch\u2019s ongoing #VoicesFromSocialMedia<\/a>\u00a0series, which compiles perspectives posted on social media by favela residents and activists about events and societal themes that arise.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

After neither Lula nor Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro won an outright majority in the first round of voting in Brazil’s 2026 presidential elections on October 5, with the candidates receiving 45.16% and 47.03% of the vote, respectively, student movements, artists and collectives from favelas and outlying areas took action, leading numerous mass pro-democracy demonstrations.<\/p>\n

That is because, unlike other elections, this year\u2019s race is much more than a mere political disagreement<\/a>: at stake is the defense of important advances and rights won by the Brazilian people since the return to democracy forty years ago, including a potential rollback of the nation’s Constitution<\/a> itself, which has guaranteed fundamental human rights<\/a> since 1988.<\/span><\/p>\n

Movements across the state of Rio de Janeiro are no different, engaging diverse areas across the municipality of Rio and far beyond in a series of actions aimed at getting out the vote, defending democracy and informing voters. These movements have events scheduled through October 24, the eve of second round voting (the presidential runoff will be on Sunday October 25), a date that, as never before, will be decisive for the future of the country and the world.<\/p>\n

At the time of this publication, RioOnWatch <\/em>has identified the following actions, including plenaries, leafleting campaigns, marches, samba circles, capoeira<\/em> and jongo<\/em>, among many others, taking place in the city\u2019s favelas, inner and outlying neighborhoods and diverse municipalities across the state of Rio. These data were compiled from events held starting on October 7 (two days after the first round vote) and organized by committees, collectives, social groups, universities and independent movements, as posted in WhatsApp groups and other social media.<\/p>\n

In total, over 300 events were identified, from massive rallies to neighborhood get-out-the-vote actions. Scroll down this page, click on the videos, and get a feeling for this energy!<\/p>\n

Largest Actions Led by Students and Artists <\/b><\/h3>\n

The first major demonstrations to mobilize the city of Rio de Janeiro were organized by students.<\/p>\n

Thousands of students demonstrated at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ<\/a>) on October 7<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Um post compartilhado por Gizele Martins (@giz_omartins)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n