Brazil's Bolsonaro says armed forces exist to defend democracy

FILE PHOTO: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his son and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro (L) attend a ceremony to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Military School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 6, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes/File Photo

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said on Sunday that the military serves the will of the people and its mission is to defend democracy, adding fuel to a raging debate about the armed forces' role amid rumbling fears of political instability.

Bolsonaro was speaking in Rio de Janeiro at the funeral of paratrooper who died the day before in an accident at an air base. His comments come as his supporters and detractors gathered in cities across the country, in a stark symbol of the polarization in Latin America's largest country.