Political tensions in Brazil came to a boiling point on Sunday after hundreds of far-right protesters stormed government buildings in protest of the swearing-in of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Windows were smashed and buildings were vandalized as rioters defaced several of the country’s most powerful government offices in protest of Lula da Silva’s election win over far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro late last year.
PRO-BOLSONARO PROTESTERS STORM BRAZILIAN CONGRESS AND PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
Here’s a breakdown of what led to the violence on Sunday and how world leaders are responding:
What happened on Sunday that caused the political unrest?
Hundreds of Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the country’s most powerful government buildings, including the congressional building, the Supreme Court, and the Planalto Presidential Palace.
During the attack, rioters smashed windows, destroyed artwork, vandalized buildings, and stacked furniture to create barricades against security personnel, according to reports. At one point, protesters placed a flag that read “Intervention” in front of the National Congress building, referring to calls to remove Lula da Silva from office.
The group, decked out in green and yellow colors symbolizing the country’s flag, dispersed by nightfall, seemingly unbothered that they could eventually face legal consequences, according to the Washington Post.
What inspired the attack?
The unrest on Sunday comes after months of tension that began when Lula da Silva won the presidential election on Oct. 30, prompting Bolsonaro to claim the country’s electronic voting system was riddled with fraud and caused his defeat. That dissatisfaction only intensified once Lula da Silva was sworn into office last week.
In the months since his defeat, Bolsonaro has refused to concede the election and made few public comments before departing the country to fly to Florida just two days before Lula da Silva was set to be sworn in.
Bolsonaro rejected accusations that he encouraged the riots on Sunday, later condemning the attack as unlawful.
“Peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today … escape the rule,” he wrote in a Twitter thread. “Throughout my mandate, I have always been within the four lines of the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency, and our sacred freedom.”
Lula da Silva promises punishment as U.S. leaders compare to Jan. 6 riot
Lula da Silva has vowed to punish the hundreds of rioters who breached government buildings on Sunday, calling the act “barbaric.”
“These people are everything that is abominable in politics,” he said. “All the people who did this will be found and punished.”
Additionally, the country’s Supreme Court ordered Gov. Ibaneis Rocha to be suspended from his position for 90 days due to accusations that he and Brazil’s head of public security aided rioters.
“Absolutely NOTHING justifies the secretary of public security and the governor of the federal district’s omission and coexistence with criminals who had previously announced they would conduct violent acts against constitutional powers,” Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes wrote in his decision.
Rocha responded to the decision, apologizing to Lula da Silva for the violence that unfolded.
“First, I’d like to address President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to apologize for what happened today in our city,” he said in a video address. “We did not think the protests would gain the momentum they did.”
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Where is Bolsonaro now?
Shortly before Lula da Silva was sworn into office on Jan. 1 and his term ended, Bolsonaro flew to Florida — prompting an outcry from several Democratic lawmakers who are calling on President Joe Biden to remove him from the country.
“Bolsonaro should not be in Florida,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) told CNN. “The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. He should be sent back to Brazil.”
