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In this article, I reflect on the symbolic dimensions projected through the “Lula Livre National March” organized by the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra in August 2018, on the outskirts of Brasília, in the Federal District, with the aim of demonstrating political support for former president Lula. Thus, I address the sociopolitical context of polarization that preceded the Brazilian presidential election in the same year and the rise of the far-right to the Executive branch. The analysis has as its starting point the description of the days of protest, which I joined as a “marcher” and member of the communication team, during the field research carried out for my doctoral thesis and its developments, which are being pursued in subsequent postdoctoral research. Based on the description, I discuss the political symbolism built around “popular support”, which the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra projects as representation through the gathering and mobilization of encampment dwellers, settlers, and activists of the movement. Subsequently, I analyze the symbolic dimension constructed around the structural organization of the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, based on a commitment to the movement’s own sociality, which continuously demands the reaffirmation of militant engagement as a guarantee of “trust” and fuels its operational “mystique”.

Context (archaeology) · Field (mathematics) · Field research · Polarization (electrochemistry) · Politics · Presidential system · Representation (politics) · Social and Economic Solidarity · Social and Political Issues · Youth, Politics, and Society