In response to last Sunday’s protests demanding Dilma’s removal from office, tens of thousands of Brazilians gathered in state capitals throughout the country in support if not of the government, then of institutional and social democracy. Some marchers called for Dilma to remain, but marchers also levied criticisms against the current state of governance, not only in the Planalto (the presidential palace) – as last Sunday’s protests did – but in Congress, too, where corruption is widespread and prosecutors have begun actually charging politicians (in contrast to the current lack of evidence of Dilma being directly tied to corruption).

The protests were not as large as those of last Sunday – perhaps because they fell on a weekday. The fact that tens of thousands (including 37,000 in São Paulo) gathered demonstrates that not all are willing to allow the pro-impeachment/anti-Dilma crowd monopolize public space or the terms…