Brazilian students in Rio de Janeiro march against the prospect of another Bolsonaro presidency

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Thousands of Brazilian students marched in downtown Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday to protest against the possibility of Flávio Bolsonaro winning the presidency, after the far-right candidate received more votes than incumbent and left-leaning Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election.

A sea of red-clad demonstrators made their way between two historical squares in Rio’s center, chanting and holding signs referencing Brazil’s sovereignty and democracy in the South American country, which they said were under threat.

“We’re fighting for Brazil, not for Lula,” said Talita Amaral, a 19-year-old environmental science student at a nearby university. She was wearing Brazil’s yellow and green soccer jersey, often worn by supporters of Bolsonaro, which she said was a gesture aimed at reclaiming the national colors.

“We don’t have time to be sad, we need to be doing this, occupying the streets, sending messages in WhatsApp groups, trying to convince people,” Amaral said, as the chant “Olé olé olé ola, Lula Lula” rang out across Cinelandia square.

Neither Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup, nor Lula received more than the required 50% of the vote needed to become Brazil’s leader on Sunday. Therefore, they will face each other in an unpredictable runoff on Oct. 25.

But Flávio Bolsonaro has at least two advantages: He received 2 million more votes than Lula on Sunday and the candidates who placed third, fourth and fifth are all on the right of the political spectrum. They gathered more than 8 million votes between them.

Bolsonaro is under investigation for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion because of his ties to the failed Banco Master — a case that many protesters in Rio made reference to on Wednesday.

Some pointed to Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, during which 700,000 people were reported to have died from the disease, while others held signs emblazoned with messages such as “Brazil isn't anyone's backyard” and “I don't vote for someone who sells Brazil.”

Many on the left fear a Flávio Bolsonaro presidency would fully align the Brazilian government with the United States because of the proximity in ideologies between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Bolsonaro family. Last year, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods and imposed sanctions on a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, citing Jair Bolsonaro’s trial, which he called a “witch hunt.”

“If Bolsonaro wins, Brazil will become a colony of the United States,” said João Victor Vieira, 20, who studies literature. He said that Bolsonaro represented a threat to minorities such as people of color, women and the LGBTQ+ community. Bolsonaro's father was notorious for homophobic remarks.

Vieira said that while he was initially dispirited following the results on Sunday, he has since regained hope.

“This protest shows that social movements are still very much alive,” he said. “We will resist.”

This story corrects a previous version that stated the candidates who placed third, fourth and fifth gathered 6 million votes. The correct number of votes is more than 8 million.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Students march to defend public education and support Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth term, ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Students hold defaced images of presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro as they march to defend public education and support Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth term, ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

A demonstrator wears the red star of the Worker's Party during a student march to defend public education and support Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth term, ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Students carry a sign that reads in Portuguese: "Brazil is not the backyard of the U.S." as they march to defend public education and support Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth term, ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Students march to defend public education and support Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for a fourth term, ahead of the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The union representing thousands of flight attendants said Wednesday it has safety concerns about President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch that will be on final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said the 250-foot (76 meter) arch compounds multiple safety concerns that she said have gone unaddressed from a deadly January 2025 crash over the Potomac River that killed 67 people. Nelson also criticized Trump's plan to turn the arch into "a top grade military complex” able to host drones and snipers while storing ammunition.

“DCA is already stretched to its limit, we do not need an obstacle taking up space in our flight path,” said Nelson. “Nor should commercial aviation have to dodge military drones, missiles or snipers while attempting to take off or land at Washington National Airport. Safety first always.”

Nelson’s statement on behalf of the union, which represents 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines, joins the voices of an assemblage of veterans’ groups, Congress members and others with safety concerns and complaints about the memorial's threat to historic and symbolic sightlines between different landmarks in Washington, D.C.

Though the arch has received early approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were all tapped by Trump, a group of three veterans and an architectural historian sued, saying the project needs to be approved by Congress.

Last month, the Republican president said in a social media post that he had agreed, at the “strong request” of the military, to convert the planned 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch “into a top grade Military Complex.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said last month before Trump's announcement on it becoming a military complex that the arch would not pose a hazard to aircraft, but it should be “appropriately marked with a non-standard eternal flame on top of the structure and floodlight projectors pointed towards the arch to make it noticeable for pilots.

An assessment by the National Park Service said the memorial arch could disrupt the historical significance of dozens of nearby sites. The Park Service approved the project despite its assessment.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced early last month that excavation work on the site in Memorial Circle would begin within weeks. The Interior Department did not respond immediately to questions on the status of that work.

The arch is one of several projects around Washington that Trump has undertaken as he remakes the city, from renovating one of its storied public golf courses to threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

This story has been updated to correct the union’s name. It is the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA , not Flight Attendants Association-CWA.

A plane flies over an anti-arch structure lifted up by demonstrators at Memorial Circle to protest the proposed Triumphal Arch, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)