Rio de Janeiro In Brazil, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have broken into the Congress building and the Supreme Court in the capital Brasília. On Sunday, video recordings by local media showed how several thousand people raged in both buildings in the capital and destroyed furniture.
Their number was estimated at around 3000. Police used pepper spray and stun grenades but were unable to stop supporters of former right-wing leader Bolsonaro.
The seat of government Palácio do Planalto was also stormed. Men with Brazilian flags walked through corridors and offices, as seen on TV Globo.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonario has condemned the attack by his radical supporters. “Peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy. Looting and raids on public buildings, as they took place today, are not included,” wrote the right-wing ex-head of state on Sunday (local time) on Twitter. “Throughout my tenure, I have always upheld the Constitution, respected and defended the law, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom.”
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The new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, took office just a week ago. He accused Bolsonaro of inciting his supporters. “They used the Sunday silence when we were still forming the government to do what they did. There are several speeches by the former President in which he advocates this. This is also his responsibility and the responsibility of the parties that supported him,” Lula said.
Bolsonaro denied the allegations. “I reject the allegations made by the current head of the Brazilian government without evidence,” he wrote. The ex-military had left Brazil with his family two days before the end of his term in office and had traveled to the USA.
Head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was not in the capital at the time of the attack. He had traveled to the city of Araraquara in the state of São Paulo to find out about the consequences of the severe storms in the region.
Bolsonaro’s party has also condemned the attack. “Today is a sad day for the Brazilian nation. We cannot agree to the storming of the National Congress,” Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) leader Valdemar Costa Neto said in a video released on Sunday. “All orderly demonstrations are legitimate. But chaos has never been a principle of our nation. We strongly condemn this behavior. The law must be enforced to strengthen our democracy.”
Events in Brasília commemorate the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Thousands have gathered.
(Photo: AP)
“I condemn these anti-democratic acts that urgently need to be punished with the harshness of the law,” Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco wrote on Twitter. “I was on the phone with Federal District Governor Ibaneis Rocha, with whom I am in regular contact. The governor informed me that the entire police force is focused on bringing the situation under control.”
The head of the ruling Workers’ Party (PT) has already raised serious allegations against those responsible in the capital Brasília. “The federal district government was irresponsible in the face of the invasion of Brasília and the National Congress,” Gleisi Hoffmann wrote on Twitter. “It was an announced crime against democracy, against the will of the voters and for other interests. The governor and his secretary of security, a Bolsonaro supporter, are responsible for everything that happens.”
“All security forces sent out into the street.”
(Photo: AP)
The governor of the federal district, Ibaneis Rocha, announced the consequences on Sunday evening: “I decided to dismiss the security minister of the federal district and at the same time sent all security forces onto the street to arrest and punish those responsible.” And further: “I’m in Brasília to monitor the demonstrations and take all measures to contain the anti-democratic riots in the government district.”
Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters do not accept the election defeat.
(Photo: Reuters)
Left-wing politician Lula took his oath of office a week ago. His predecessor, the right-wing populist Bolsonaro, did not recognize the victory and left the country 48 hours before the end of his term.
Before departing for Florida, he addressed his followers and called them to fight against Lula. They have protested the outcome of the runoff since the runoff, calling for a military coup to prevent Lula from taking office. This is his third term in office. He was head of state from 2003 to 2010.
“Cowardly, heinous attack on democracy”
In initial reactions, states in the region supported Lula. His government has Chile’s full support in view of the “cowardly, heinous attack on democracy,” President Gabriel Boric wrote on Twitter. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard also wrote via the short message service that his country opposed any attack on democratic institutions.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro declared: “Fascism has decided on a coup.” He called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS). Argentine President Alberto Fernandez also spoke of an attempted coup and offered support.
The gap between the two camps in society is wider than it has ever been since the country’s return to democracy in 1985. During the election campaign, both politicians massively accused each other of corruption, for example, and thus contributed to the polarization of society.
Lula was convicted of bribery in 2018 and spent a year and a half in prison. In 2021, the verdicts against him were overturned. His time in prison enhanced his sense of social justice, sources said.
More: Left-wing politician Lula sworn in as President of Brazil