What’s happened in brazil?
On Sunday, thousands of supporters of Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s government buildings – including Congress, the presidential palace, and the Supreme Court.
The scenes have been described as eerily similar to the US attack on the Capitol – where Trump supporters stormed the building and spent hours damaging property. Five people in total died.
With the second anniversary of the US Capitol riots just gone, it’s remarkable, that Brazil has grimly echoed the chaos.
How did it start?
The unrest all started when the former PM Bolsonaro was booted from office in October 2022 after a presidential vote saw him defeated by left-wing Lula da Silva. Both men presented very different visions of Brazil – and with that, much like Brexit and the US presidential election in 2021 – there is a very notable divide in the country.
Bolsonara immediately jumped on a plane and left the country. He has been in Florida since he lost the election – he was slow to respond to the riots but eventually commented on the actions of his supporters, saying that entering government buildings “had crossed the line”.
Here’s what we know so far:
- Thousands of supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro invaded Brazil’s congress, the presidential palace, and the Brazilian supreme court
- The scenes were similar to that of the January 6 2021 US attack on the Capitol
- After three hours, security forces had managed to retake all three buildings
- Over 300 people arrested
- A federal security intervention in Brasília lasting until 31 January
- Global condemnation of the actions of the protesters
What we know about the attack on Brazil’s government buildings
Thousands of supporters of Bolsonaro managed to breach and invade congress, the presidential palace and the supreme court. Within three hours, security forces had regained the buildings and arrested 300 people, according to state media.
Many of the rioters were wearing Brazil’s colours or the national football shirt.
Images online show the supreme court has been ransacked, with protesters breaking cameras and shattering windows.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced a federal security intervention in Brasília lasting until 31 January. All policing will remain under the control of the central government after capital security forces initially were overwhelmed by the invaders. He said the law enforcement bodies showed “incompetence, bad faith or malice” and promised swift action.
Bolsonaro responded to the attacks by defending his record in government whilst saying the invasion of public buildings crossed the line. Peaceful demonstrations, within the law, form part of democracy,” he wrote on Twitter.
“However, depredations and invasions of public buildings like those that happened today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, are exceptions to the rule.”
Bolsonaro, Former Brazilian President
The former president didn’t outright condemn the rioters but instead slammed Lula’s claims he was responsible.
Bolsonaro supporters will be punished for attack – Lula
Lula has blamed Bolsonaro and suggested that authorities had allowed “fascists” and “fanatics” to wreak havoc.
“These vandals, who we could call … fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country,” said Lula, who was on an official trip to São Paulo state.
“All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished.”
The president has since been to view the damage caused.
Tensions in Brazil
The attack on the government buildings was the result of months of tensions after the October vote. Much like Trump, Bolsonaro has yet to concede defeat and instead peddles false claims of election fraud, spawning election deniers.
Bolsonaro, like Trump, did not attend the inauguration of the next president, instead, Bolsonaro took a trip to Florida. The violence could amplify the legal risks he faces and is now in a murky situation with US authorities as they have to determine how to handle his stay in the US.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joaquin Castro – two Democrats in the US Congress, have called for Bolsonaro’s extradition from the US.
“The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida,” Ocasio-Cortez said, as she compared the protests to the 6 January storming of the US Capitol.
“Nearly two years to the day, the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil.”
President Joe Biden also condemned the “assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil.”
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