Brazil's Bolsonaro headlines anti-democratic rally, amid alarm over handling of virus

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attacked Congress and the courts in a speech to hundreds of supporters on Sunday, underlining the former army captain's increasing isolation as he downplays the impacts of the novel coronavirus on Latin America's largest nation.

Right-wing Bolsonaro has drawn widespread criticism from across the political spectrum for dismissing the threat of the virus in Brazil, which had registered 95,559 confirmed cases and 6,750 deaths as of Saturday evening. On Sunday, dozens of public figures signed an open letter to the Brazilian government calling on officials to protect the nation's indigenous people, who often live in remote locations with limited access to healthcare.

But political leaders have called Bolsonaro's participation in anti-democratic rallies irresponsible, especially as he has spoken approvingly of the nation's military dictatorship, which was responsible for hundreds of extrajudicial executions. Bolsonaro's attendance also drew criticism as the nation is a major coronavirus hot spot.

Bolsonaro, who did not wear a mask on Sunday, has dismissed the virus as a "little flu," saying the economic fallout of quarantining measures will be deadlier that the virus itself. The open letter on Sunday, which warned that loggers and ranchers could introduce to virus to indigenous communities in a development tantamount to "genocide", was signed by celebrities ranging from U.S. television personality Oprah Winfrey to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

The government has banned people from entering indigenous reserves during the pandemic. However, the state has also cut down on law enforcement against illegal loggers and miners in remote regions as a safety measure. At the Sunday rally, at least three photographers were attacked by demonstrators, according to a Reuters witness - an increasingly routine occurrence in Brazil, where Bolsonaro and other leaders routinely call the work of major newspapers "fake news."

One photographer from Sao Paulo newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, the Reuters witness said, was pulled off a ladder and repeatedly kicked in the ribs.