In photos: Protesters across Brazil demand President Jair Bolsonaro's removal
04 July 2021
Thousands of protesters across Brazil called for President Jair Bolsonaro's removal Saturday, one day after a judge authorized opening an investigation into him over an alleged COVID-19 vaccine procurement scheme, per the Guardian.
Why it matters: The pandemic has killed almost 524,000 people in Brazil amid a slow vaccine rollout. This investigation, along with a Senate probe, may hurt Bolsonaro's re-election chances next year and could hamper his "ability to serve out the remainder of his term," the New York Times notes.
An anti-Bolsonaro protest in Brasilia on July 3. "The president has been implicated in allegations of irregularities surrounding a 1.6 billion reais ($316 million) contract signed in February for 20 million doses with a Brazilian intermediary for the vaccine's maker, Bharat Biotech," Reuters reports. Photo: Sergio Lima/AFP via Getty Images
A woman holds a sign depicting Bolsonaro on a dollar bill during a protest in downtown Rio de Janeiro on July 3. Photo: Andre Borges/AFP via Getty Images
People at the anti-Bolsonaro demonstration in Brasilia on July 3. Photo: Sergio Lima/AFP via Getty Images
A man dressed as the Brazilian vaccine symbol takes part in a demonstration against Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo, on July 3. Photo: Miguel Schincariol/AFP via Getty Images
The scene at the anti-Bolsonaro protest in downtown Rio de Janeiro on July 3. Photo: Andre Borges/AFP via Getty Images
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.