Groups for and against impeachment divide Brasília

The Ministries Esplanade, which cuts the heart of Brasília in half, was empty at the sun rising, because the military police blocked the traffic at midnight. Civil servants arriving for work had to leave their cars in parking lots behind the ministries' headquarters. To avoid confrontation during Sunday's vote, police erected a steel wall outside the Congress, cutting the centre of the grassy slope of the Ministries Esplanade. The measures are part of the security scheme prepared for the vote on President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment request, which began to be discussed on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies this Friday (Apr. 15) morning.

While the police stand on guard in the area, where prostets will be staged, groups for and against impeachment are camping on parking lots. Pro-Rousseff protesters are outside Mané Garrincha National Stadium, and protesters against the president are in the Park City.

In favor of impeachment

Sculptor Maciel Joaquim, 34, came from Rio Grande do Sul a week ago and is camped in the Park City, waiting for more people in favor of impeachment, who will arrive in a caravan until Sunday. "We feel emancipated here. Many people who are here can no longer sleep at night, due to the practice of entryism and to the depth in which the left-wing has infiltrated our country," he said.

Selma Vilela is an autonomous worker, who traveled 19 hours from Minas Gerais to Brasília. She expects the country will make a turn when President Rousseff is impeached. "I hope for a better country, I hope for the government's ouster, and I hope we can change this country, and combat corruption and unemployment that ravage our country," said Selma, who became unemployed about a year ago. "I'm sure this crisis was the reason for it.  It happened not only to me, but to millions of Brazilians. "

Against impeachment

In the camp set up in the parking lot outside Mané Garrincha National Stadium, there are more than 3,000 people, according to Rafaela Alves, from the coordination of the Small Farmers Movement and one of the coordinators of the Brasil Frente Popular camping, a group defending the permanence of President Dilma Rousseff in power. She explains that, until Sunday, 50,000 people are expected to arrive at the camp and the expectation is to gather 200,000 people in the streets of the Federal District.

"Our ultimate goal is to engage the workers in the struggle against the coup and for democracy," said Alves, who came from Ceará to help coordinate the camping.

For her, the steel wall erected cutting through the centre of the grassy slope of the Ministries Esplanade has only marked a social class division "that has always existed."

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta