BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • Trending

Brazilians get that sinking feeling as crisis deepens

  • Published
    17 March 2016
Share page
About sharing
Brazil as TitanicImage source, Twitter/@paulinhaitu
Image caption,

The Brazilian state is presented as the sinking Titanic by this government critic.

ByBBC Trending
What's popular and why

The political crisis that has engulfed Brazil has prompted a tumultuous and acrimonious response on the country's social media.

As street protests continued many critics of the government took to Twitter using the hashtag #QuedaDoPlanalto which translates as Fall of Planalto - a reference to the name of the presidential palace.

The hashtag - a playful twist on the Hollywood disaster movies "London Has Fallen" and "Olympus Has Fallen" - was for a time the top global trend on Twitter.

The current crisis stems from slow-burning allegations of corruption involving the state oil company Petrobras and the ruling Workers' Party. Last week prosecutors filed charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accusing him of money laundering and fraud, which he has denied.

Many protesters have gone online to express the view that the government, lead by Lula's successor as president, Dilma Rousseff, is rotten to the core. This Twitter user posted what he called the new Brazilian flag. In his design the national motto "Ordem e Progresso" - meaning order and progress - has been replaced with corruption and mischief. The flag is headed with the word "luto" which translates as mourning. The person who posted it comments "Sorry but it's true"

Mocked up Brazilian flagImage source, Twitter/@Ivo_Tithagho

In another cartoon shared widely, Lula's troubles are likened to the iconic toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003. The caption reads: "Image to inspire one more day towards the end of the gang".

cartoonImage source, Twitter/@pauloap

Many other tweets have called for the impeachment of President Rousseff. It follows her decision to appoint Lula as her chief of staff, a move which many have interpreted as an attempt to shield the former president from prosecution. That view is represented in this cartoon in which Lula is seen cowering under the protective skirts of President Rousseff to avoid federal judge Sergio Moro, who is presiding over the investigation of the Petrobras scandal.

Lula hiding under skirtsImage source, Twitter/@Rrodryggo

However, supporters of the government have been outraged by the decision of a judge to block Lula's appointment as chief of staff. Judge Itagiba Catta Preta issued the injunction on the grounds that the corruption investigation could be derailed if Lula became a minister. But some on the left have questioned the impartiality of the judge. The singer Isabel Monteiro, once of the band Drugstore, was among those who tweeted a photo showing him wearing badges showing his support former opposition presidential candidate Aecio Neves on Facebook.

judge photoImage source, Twitter/@GringaBrazilien

Another Twitter user commented ``judge Itagiba Catta Preta is an open militant against the government on Facebook. Should a judge be impartial. Or not?"

Written by Bruno Garcez, BBC Brasil

Next story: Humans of New York takes on Trump

Brandon Stanton (seated on the right) has previously been invited to the White House for his fundraising for education.Image source, Pete Souza/The White House
Image caption,

Brandon Stanton (seated on the right with camera) has previously been invited to the White House for his fundraising for education.

A popular photo blogger stirs up a social media storm with his open letter to Republican front-runner Donald Trump..READ MORE

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

Top stories

  • King and Trump hail UK-US special relationship in state banquet speech

    • Published
      3 hours ago
  • Watch: Pomp and protests on day one of Trump state visit

    • Published
      4 hours ago
  • US to invest £150bn in UK, promising thousands of jobs

    • Published
      4 hours ago

More to explore

  • 'Trump and circumstance' and 'Maddie suspect freed'

    A composite image of the front pages of Metro and the Daily Mirror. "Trump and circumstance" reads the headline of the former and "Maddie suspect freed" reads the latter.
  • Is the UK-France migrants returns deal workable?

    A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to the Border Force compound in Dover, Kent, from a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on 9 September. The people getting off the boat are wearing life jackets.
  • Melania’s hat, a yellow dress and Kate’s golden gown - standout state visit looks

    Melania Trump and Donald Trump
  • Donald Trump's second UK state visit: Here's what we know

    King Charles and US President Donald Trump travel in a covered carriage during a procession at Windsor Castle on 17 September, on the first day of his second state visit to the UK.
  • The frantic race to save Gaza’s historic treasures from Israeli bombs

    Boy sitting in rubble of historic site in Gaza
  • Read the text messages between Charlie Kirk accused and roommate

    A charging document that shows the alleged text exchange between the suspect and his roomate
  • Politicians get rich while we suffer - so I helped bring down our government in 48 hours

    Tanuja Pandey holding a paper showing an anti-corruption slogan during the Gen-Z protests in Nepal
  • Fake flea treatment almost killed my cat - here's how to keep it safe

    Smokey, a grey and black long-haired cat, lies on the vet's table looking despondent
  • US officers tied us up and pointed guns at us, South Korean engineers tell BBC

    Repatriated South Korean workers detained in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Georgia factory queue to board buses at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, 12 September 2025.
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Jimmy Kimmel taken off air over Charlie Kirk comments

  2. 2

    Melania’s hat, a yellow dress and Kate’s golden gown - standout state visit looks

  3. 3

    King and Trump hail UK-US special relationship in state banquet speech

  4. 4

    'Trump and circumstance' and 'Maddie suspect freed'

  5. 5

    Three officers killed in Pennsylvania shooting, with two others critical

  6. 6

    Major Scottish gangland figures arrested in Dubai

  7. 7

    US to invest £150bn in UK, promising thousands of jobs

  8. 8

    I have no relationship with Trump, Brazil's President Lula tells BBC

  9. 9

    In pictures: Trump and Melania meet royals at Windsor

  10. 10

    Don't scrap care plans for children with special educational needs, say MPs

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Stacey and Joe welcome you back to Pickle Cottage

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Stacey & Joe
  • What's the future of home parcel delivery?

    • Attribution
      Sounds
  • The state of the UK-US special relationship examined

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Panorama: Trump and Starmer
  • A couple's search for the Croydon cat killer

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Illuminated: The Cat Killer Detectives
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.