Thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C., on October 27, 2024, clutching rosaries and U.S. Dollars as they marched toward the Capitol, invoking imagery from the 1964 Brazilian coup that overthrew President João Goulart.
The demonstration, organized by a coalition of conservative Catholic groups and far-right activists, drew participants who carried religious symbols alongside cash, echoing historical accounts of the 1964 movement where similar displays were documented by U.S. Embassy officials and later declassified CIA memos.
According to eyewitnesses and live-streamed footage, the march began near the Lincoln Memorial and proceeded along Constitution Avenue, with organizers stating the event aimed to “awaken moral courage” in response to what they described as rising secularism and economic instability in the United States.
No official permits were publicly listed for the march on the National Park Service’s special events calendar for October 27, though participants reported being allowed to proceed without interference from law enforcement.
The imagery invoked — rosaries and dollars — directly references photographs and film from March 31, 1964, when Brazilian civilians, encouraged by U.S. Diplomatic signals and financial support, took to the streets demanding military intervention against Goulart’s government, which they accused of communist sympathies.
Historians have long debated the extent of U.S. Involvement in the 1964 coup, with declassified documents showing that President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized covert funding to opposition groups and encouraged Brazilian military leaders to act, though no direct U.S. Troop involvement occurred.
In recent years, far-right movements in Brazil and the United States have periodically revived the symbolism of the 1964 march, particularly during periods of political polarization, using religious and economic iconography to frame democratic governance as morally bankrupt.
On the day of the Washington march, no statements were issued by the White House, the Department of State, or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the event’s symbolism or its historical references.
Organizers did not respond to requests for comment on whether they intended to draw a direct parallel to the 1964 Brazilian coup or if the rosaries and dollars were meant solely as expressions of faith and economic patriotism.
The march concluded without incident near the U.S. Capitol, with participants dispersing peacefully after approximately two hours.
