U.S. tariff hikes spark nationwide protests in Brazil

BRASILIA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Protests have erupted across Brazil since Friday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariff hikes and sanctions on the country.

Chanting slogans and waving signs reading "Sovereignty is not negotiable," protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Brazil and near the U.S. consulates in several major cities, including Rio de Janeiro, denouncing the U.S. attempts to weaponize tariffs and interfere with Brazil's national sovereignty and judicial independence.

The U.S. government on Wednesday announced that it would impose tariffs of up to 50 percent on Brazilian exports and sanction Alexandre de Moraes, a justice of Brazil's Federal Supreme Court currently overseeing the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting to seize power after losing his reelection bid in 2022.

The latest Brazil tariff hike, among the highest imposed by the United States on its trading partners, comes after Trump's accusation that the Brazilian judiciary is abusing power and his demand to halt the trial of Bolsonaro.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has strongly rejected the U.S. measures, denouncing the interference in the country's internal affairs and accusing the opposition -- particularly members of the Bolsonaro family -- of putting foreign alliances ahead of national interests. He insists that Brazil negotiate on equal terms and resist external pressure surrounding Bolsonaro's prosecution. ■