Social media users are sharing an image of a man with his face painted in colors of the Brazilian flag, wearing headgear with horns and feathers, and are claiming he is a supporter of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and associated with the January 8 riots in Brazil. But the image dates from 2021 and is not related to the attack on Brazil’s state institutions in early 2023.
The man in the image was likened to Jake Angeli, a supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who became known as the "Anon Shaman" after being photographed inside the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riots in a hat with horns and the American flag painted on his face (here) (here). In September 2021, Angeli pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding during the riots for which he received a prison sentence of 41 months (here).
One of the posts, which features side by side photos of Angeli and the Brazilian protester, reads, “You know Brazil went FULL Jan 6 when they brought their own shaman” (here), (here).
The image of the Brazilian man was taken by photographer Guilherme Gandolfi at a demonstration in Sao Paulo. He shared it on his Instagram and stated that it was taken on Sept. 7, 2021, when supporters of then president Bolsonaro rallied in major cities after he urged them to protest his "percieved enemies" in the government and the country's courts, per a Reuters report (here).
Bolsonaro’s supporters invaded and vandalised the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court on Jan. 8, 2023. The invasion had echoes of the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 by backers of former President Donald Trump, drawing condemnation from world leaders (here).
VERDICT
Missing context. The photograph of a man in Brazil likened to the “QAnon Shaman” dates from 2021 and is not related to the Jan. 8 attack on Brazil’s state institutions.
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