The Golden Bull installed in front of the Brazilian Stock Exchange, the B3, did not last a day without being the target of protests. This Wednesday morning (17), activists gathered to put a poster (a lick-lick) on the piece that reads “hunger”.
The sculpture is a replica of the Bull from Wall Street, located in the financial district of New York, and was installed in the central area of the capital of São Paulo this Tuesday (16). The Brazilian version was named the Golden Bull for being golden. The original is bronze.
The act was “a direct message to the Bolsonaro government and to the entire Brazilian elite that supports the president”, says Tabata Luz, a member of the Fogo no Pavio and Raiz da Liberdade movements, responsible for the demonstration.
The groups were born, respectively, as the youth and the black collective of the MTST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto), which, together with the Frente Povo Sem Fedo, occupied the Brazilian Stock Exchange in September, in another protest against hunger. Currently, they are independent of the housing movement.
“We carry with us this history of struggle and direct action by the MTST. It was not very difficult to think how symbolic it would be to leave a mark of Brazil on this bull. And, unfortunately, the hallmark of Brazil today is hunger”, says Luz.
The protest was recorded and posted on social media. “Just as the Bull of Wall Street is targeted by workers who resist, so will the Golden Bull!”, said the movements in the publications.
Sought out, B3 stated in a note that the sculpture “honorifies the strength and courage of Brazilians, as well as being a gift to the city of São Paulo, aimed at revitalizing the city’s historic center.”
“Bull sculptures, which represent optimism about the financial market, are present in financial centers in several cities around the world, such as New York and Frankfurt”, he added.
As with the September protest on the Stock Exchange, the repercussion on social media was immediate. This reach is part of the strategy, according to Luz. “The idea was to be an action that could have repercussions on the networks throughout the day, just as the image of the bull is reverberating,” says the activist.
In stock market jargon, the bull represents the stock market’s bull times, as the bull horns upward. The statue is located south of the island of Manhattan.
The Brazilian version was installed in front of the Bolsa building, on 15 de Novembro Street, and is authorized by the Sé sub-prefecture to remain there for three months.
The Gold Tour was created in partnership with the partner at XP and president of the Vai Tourinho financial education company, Pablo Spyer —also known for presenting the program Minuto Touro de Ouro, at Jovem Pan—, and conceived by the artist and architect Rafael Brancatelli.
The piece, says B3, “symbolizes the financial market and the strength of the Brazilian people”. The number of investors on the Brazilian stock exchange has increased in recent months, but it still represents a small portion of the population.
In October, B3 reached the milestone of 4 million individual variable income accounts. The number of unique CPFs is 3.4 million, as the same person can have an account with several brokers. The median value (average, not considering the extremes) of each portfolio is R$8,000, according to B3.
By way of comparison, in September there were 234 million active savings accounts in the country.
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