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Thousands of sympathizers of far-right ex-president of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s presidential palace, Congress, and the supreme court on Sunday, imitating the US Capitol attack two years ago by former President Donald Trump supporters.
According to Brazilian media, security forces retook the three buildings at about 6.30 p.m. local time, three hours after the initial reports of the invasion. On television, images showed hundreds of rioters being led away in handcuffs. According to police, 300 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks.
After the invaders overran the capital’s security forces, the left-wing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, ordered a federal security intervention in Brasil, bringing policing under the central government’s control until January 31. He accused police of “incompetence, ill faith, or malice” and promised swift action. Last year, as the president is known, Lula defeated Bolsonaro in electoral run-offs.
On Sunday, Bolsonaro responded to the violence with social media posts defending his record in the office while arguing that the assault on public buildings was excessive.
Lula accused ex-President Bolsonaro and complained about a lack of security in the city, accusing officials of allowing “fascists” and “fanatics” to cause havoc.
Thousands of yellow-and-green-clad protesters ran wild in the city, capping months of tension following the vote on October 30. Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who has yet to accept defeat, promoted the false assumption that Brazil’s e-voting system was prone to fraud, inciting a violent movement of election skeptics. Bolsonaro flew to Florida 48 hours before his tenure expired, missing Lula’s inauguration. The violence in Brazil may compound Bolsonaro’s legal problems. It must also be resolved for US officials contemplating how to deal with his presence in Florida.
The Supreme Court’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes dismissed Ibaneis Rocha, the pro-Bolsonaro governor of the federal district in Brasilia, for 90 days amid outrage that authorities had failed to foil the attack. According to De Moraes, the attacks could only have occurred with public security and intelligence personnel’s consent, or maybe direct involvement.
Democrats in the US Congress, Joaquin Castro and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joaquin Castro, have also asked for Bolsonaro’s extradition. “The United States must cease offering Bolsonaro shelter in Florida,” Ocasio-Cortez said, comparing the protests to the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. “Nearly two years after fascists attacked the US Capitol, fascist movements worldwide are attempting to do the same in Brazil.”
Joe Biden, the US president, condemned the “assault on democracy and the transfer of power in Brazil,” adding that Brazil’s democratic institutions “had the full backing of the United States, and the will of the people must not be compromised.”
The supreme court, whose justice Alexandre de Moraes has been a critic of Bolsonaro and his followers, was looted by the occupants, according to social media photos showing protestors clubbing security cameras and shattering the windows of the modernist institution.
Brazil’s governor, Ibaneis Rocha, stated on Twitter that he fired his top security official, Anderson Torres, who had previously served as Bolsonaro’s justice minister. Torres has been arrested, according to the solicitor general’s office.
Rioters will be punished, according to Lula
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has vowed to punish supporters of the country’s previous leader, Jair Bolsonaro, who stormed Congress.
Supporters of the ousted far-right leader also stormed the presidential palace and the Supreme Court.
After hours of struggle, authorities reclaimed control of Brasilia’s capital’s buildings on Sunday evening.
The Civil Police in Brasilia said 300 people had been arrested, and officials promised to find everyone else involved.
On Monday, heavily armed officers gathered outside a camp of Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters in the city, one of several put up outside army sites across the country since the October election.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court suspended Brasilia’s governor, Ibaneis Rocha, for 90 days.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes charged him with failing to prevent the disturbance and remaining “painfully silent” in the face of the attack. On Sunday, Mr. Rocha apologized for the events.
Leftist politicians and organizations are organizing pro-democracy protests across Brazil.
Only a week after Lula’s inauguration, hundreds of demonstrators dressed in yellow Brazil football jerseys and banners overcame police and ransacked the capital of the Brazilian state.
On Sunday night, he inspected the damage to the Supreme Court building.
Before deploying the national guard to restore order in the capital, the seasoned left-wing leader was forced to declare an emergency.
He also ordered the closure of the capital’s heart, including the main avenue where government buildings are located, for 24 hours.
According to Justice Minister Flavio Dino, around 40 buses used to carry demonstrators to the capital have been confiscated. The invasion is an “absurd attempt to impose [the protesters’] will by force.”
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Mr. Bolsonaro has frequently refused to acknowledge his defeat in the October election. He left the country last week rather than participate in the inaugural ceremonies, where he would have handed over the renowned presidential sash.
Six hours after the rioting began, the 67-year-old, believed to be in Florida, criticized the violence and denied backing the rioters in a tweet.
He also went after security forces, accusing them of “incompetence, bad faith, or malice” for failing to keep demonstrators out of Congress.
