Social media users have wrongly attributed videos showing crowds gathered in Brazil to protests against pharmaceutical companies. The footage, however, shows rallies in support of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
One clip features dozens of bikers on a road adorned with Brazilian flags. An individual who shared the video on Facebook said: “Anti Big-Pharma fascism protest in Brazil” (here).
A social media user added in the comments: “Well done Brazil we are with you, Let us all rise up together United [sic].”
Meanwhile, another video shows thousands of people gathered, singing, and standing with Brazilian-themed paraphernalia (here).
An individual who shared the clip via Facebook said: “Brazil fighting back against tyranny of big pharma, big tech and the evil globalists!”
Other examples of the videos online are viewable (here , here , here and here).
But the clips are not of demonstrations against pharmaceutical or tech companies; rather, they show rallies in support of Bolsonaro.
The first video was taken on Aug. 31, where Bolsonaro met supporters in Uberlândia who were riding motorcycles. Other videos from the same rally can be seen here , here and here).
The latter video was taken at a rally held in Brasilia on Sept. 7, which is Brazil’s Independence Day.
Tens of thousands gathered in the city to mark the occasion (here , here and here).
Also on Sept. 7, Bolsonaro continued to mount attacks against Brazil’s Supreme Court, which authorized investigations of himself and his allies, based on accusations that they had attacked Brazil's democratic institutions by promoting misleading information on social media (here).
VERDICT
Missing context. Videos uploaded onto social media do not show demonstrations against pharmaceutical companies. They show rallies in support of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.
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