Angry crowds hunt Bush in Brazil

Angry crowds hunt Bush as protests mark start of Latin American tour

· Brazilians take to streets with effigies and abuse
· Presidents cement alliance that many do not want

Tom Phillips in Sao Paulo
Saturday March 10, 2007
The Guardian

Some arrived clutching banners telling "Mr Butcher" to go home. Others brought effigies of "The Warlord" dangling miserably from a hangman's noose. A handful dressed up as the grim reaper, while some women paraded through the streets with stickers of George Bush and Adolf Hitler placed tastefully over their nipples.

Fabio Silva had other ideas. He stuffed a sock into his mouth and left it there for three hours. "It means that the Brazilian authorities have tried to censor us - to pretend to Bushy that we don't exist," said the 21-year-old student, using the president's nickname in these parts after briefly removing his gag. "It means that we are remembering the silent victims of Iraq. And it means that the censorship will not shut.

---

---

If President Bush needed a reminder of his growing unpopularity in Latin America, it was here in Sao Paulo in the shape of a 10,000-strong human wave marching noisily through the financial district.

There was none of the famed Brazilian hospitality. Even before Mr Bush arrived in Brazil on Thursday to begin a six-day tour of Latin America the protesters were out en masse. "Persona non grata" read one placard. "Get out you Nazi" said another. In case the message still hadn't hit home, there was one other taunt - this time in English: "Bush, kill yourself."

Such sentiments are not universal. The promise of economic ties is welcomed by Brazilian businessmen. About 200 energy executives heard an address by Mr Bush yesterday morning in Sao Paulo.

Others see the relationship their president, Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, has fostered with the US as a counterweight to the growing influence of Hugo Chávez in South America.

President Lula hopes the visit will boost both Brazil's international profile and its chances of a seat on the UN security council. He described the new "strategic alliance" between Brazil and the US as a "historic moment" and the first step towards creating a "global biofuel market".

Sao Paulo's governor did his part to help Mr Bush feel at home. He reportedly commissioned two handmade cowboy hats for his visitor, from the same factory that made Harrison Ford's headwear for Indiana Jones. During a lunch at the Hilton the hosts treated their guest to a prawn salad and a prime Brazilian steak.

Yet anger was the popular reaction. Hours before Mr Bush touched down in Sao Paulo protests broke out across Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro the US consulate was spattered with red paint. In Porto Alegre protesters burned George Bush dolls. The centre of Sao Paulo erupted in violence.

Massive corruption scandals involving Brazilian politicians rarely elicit this kind of reaction. Even top-flight Brazilian football teams sometimes struggle to draw such crowds.

There was even a special group formed by students to track down the president, calling itself the Bush Hunt Command. The group gathered yesterday morning in Sao Paulo's Ibirapuera Park with the aim of chasing Mr Bush through the streets and forcing him to listen to their message.

The hunt began with a version of If You're Happy and You Know It with doctored lyrics. "Good morning President Bush, how's it going?" the crowd screamed, before the unmistakable chorus of "Filho da puta" - son of a whore.

Arthur Herculano, one of the hunt's leaders, busied himself daubing dozens of T-shirts with the movement's slogan "Fora Bush", meaning "Get out Bush." "It's to show that his imperialist attitudes are not welcome," he said. "We will force him to listen to us."

"Bushy" is unlikely to have heard their cries. Yesterday he toured a biofuel distribution plant, met President Lula and was due to visit a social work project for impoverished Brazilian children in the afternoon.

A massive security operation involving hundreds of police, military and intelligence agents from both countries meant the president was completely shielded from any kind of protest.

That , however, did not stop people trying. In Ibirapuera Park the hunt's leaders herded protesters into a fleet of coaches to begin their pursuit. The first stop was the Hilton, where Mr Bush was staying in the £3,200-a-night presidential suite.

"Wherever he goes today we will show him our hostility," one leader bellowed through a crackly PA system. "Let's show him what we think so that he will never, ever dare to set foot in our country again."

On the eve of his trip President Bush told CNN's Spanish language channel he hoped to show South Americans the US "cared" about the region. Based on this showing, they will take a lot more convincing.