Faz o L

Faz o L (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfa(j)z u ˈɛ.li], literally do the L) is an informal mobilization slogan, and a reference to the hand gesture that was the hallmark of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's 2022 campaign. It has become a target of dispute between supporters of both Lula's Workers' Party and Bolsonaro's supporters on social media. On one side, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have adopted the term ironically to criticize measures announced by the new government. On the other, Lula's enthusiasts have been using the phrase to praise his management and mark contrasts with the previous administration.[1]

Sympathizer of the Workers' Party doing the L gesture in 2018

According to David Nemer, a professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia in the U.S. and an expert on Bolsonaro's WhatsApp groups, the slogan works as a meme, a way of bringing together various meanings. It has a sense of validation of the vote for both Lula's supporters and the other side, tends to reinforce bubbles, and is a way of keeping mobilization. By functioning as a meme, it facilitates digital communication.[1]

As of February 2023, the opposition to the president, mainly the Bolsonarist one, are the ones who have adopted the expression the most.[1]

Use of the slogan
Lula and Janja doing the L on January 1, 2023

By supporters of Lula government

Supporters of the Workers' Party (PT) candidate use the phrase to praise his administration and highlight contrasts with the previous administration. They also started using the phrase to react to the ironies from the Bolsonarist camp.[1]

Letícia Lourenço, a digital influencer who supports the Brazilian Workers' Party, spoke out after her house was shot five times in the Canaã neighborhood of Ipatinga, Minas Gerais. "I have seen comments from totally unnecessary people saying 'now do the L'. I will continue to do the L, because whoever did this to me did not do the L", she said.[2]

By non-supporters of Lula government

The slogan faz o L used during the successful electoral campaign of Lula's Workers' Party has been appropriated by disinformation campaigns falsely attributing actions of previous governments to the new mandate of PT. These campaigns use neologisms like fazueli, fazuele, fazoele, and fazoeli, and focus on issues such as new taxes, reduction of social benefits, and changes in labor laws.[1][3]

For instance, a viral image of a gas station banner claiming that the rising fuel prices are due to taxes from Lula government and asking those who did the L to complain to the Workers' Party is false. The image, which was digitally altered, was actually from 2015 and originally stated that customers should complain to Dilma about the price increase. The photo was taken at a gas station in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, and the fact was caused by tax increases announced by the then Minister of Finance, Joaquim Levy. The goal of the post, shared by Eduardo Bolsonaro and others, was to blame PT for the fuel price increase due to recent government tax changes. This content had broad reach on social media. On Twitter, one post had 556,000 views, 28.9 thousand likes, and 4.7 thousand retweets.[4]

The mayor of Divinópolis, Gleidson Azevedo (PSC), has been targeted by a criminal complaint presented by the national PT party. The complaint was filed on March 18, 2023, after the municipal executive linked President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to a supposed increase in homicides in the city. In an interview with the Gatilho Podcast on March 9, Azevedo was asked about an increase in crime rates in Divinópolis and replied: "Faz o L," referring to one of the slogans of Lula's campaign. The criminal complaint lists three crimes allegedly committed by Azevedo in his statement—slander, insult, and dereliction of duty in relation to combating crime in the municipality.[5]

References
  1. Couto, Marlen (26 February 2023). "'Faz o L': entenda a batalha pelo slogan nas redes e veja o desempenho de governo e oposição". EXTRA (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. Giacomin, Romulo (22 March 2023). "Influencer petista que teve casa alvejada: 'Quem fez isso não fez o 'L". Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. Bortolon, Bianca; Faustino, Marco; Mangabeira, Milena (17 January 2023). "Bolsonaristas apropriam-se do bordão 'faz o L' para atribuir a Lula ações de governos anteriores". Aos Fatos (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  4. "'Faz o L' em foto de faixa em posto de combustível é montagem". Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. Negrisoli, Lucas (23 March 2023). "PT nacional protocola notícia-crime contra prefeito de Divinópolis". O TEMPO (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
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