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Wanderlei Silva organized a march to answer to a protest that happened in his home town in Brazil.
One day before getting hit by a car in Curitiba, Brazil, former PRIDE and UFC star Wanderlei Silva was on the streets of his home town for a different reason. After protesters burned a Brazilian flag at Palacio Iguacu, the government building for the state of Parana, in an action against racism and the country’s president Jair Bolsonaro, the ‘Axe Murderer’ decided to answer them.
On June 2, in a video published on local news website Tribuna do Parana, Wanderlei called the townsfolk to join him in a march to raise a new flag at the location. Additionally, Silva asks all people who were revolted by the act to show up at the march and walk alongside him in a peaceful protest.
“All members from all gyms and everyone who was revolted by the situation that happened yesterday, when the city got wrecked, have confirmed (their presences). We will gather tonight, at 6 PM, at Praca do Homem Nu, and we will walk all the way to the government’s palace, in a peaceful and organized manner. We will raise the replacement flag. They burned our country’s symbol, but today we will raise the flag that will take its place.”
Later on, Wanderlei posted a video of the march on his Instagram, where he is joined by dozens of men, singing the country’s national anthem. The crowd also chanted the words ‘our flag will never be red’, made famous by Bolsonaro’s electors during his 2018 presidential campaign, in a allusion to communism and the party in power until 2016, PT (Worker’s Party).
“We’re here in Curitiba, this is a protest in favor of Brazil. Thank you all who are here with us. A peaceful protest, always peaceful. We don’t have to break anything.”
Currently on a two-fight losing skid, with losses to Quinton Jackson and Chael Sonnen, Wanderlei Silva (35-14-1-1 NC) has not won a fight since a March 2013 knockout win against Brian Stann.