Brazilian security forces regained control of Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court on Sunday after a mob of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seat of power, sparking chaos in the capital Brasilia.
In scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, initially overwhelmed security forces used tear gas, flash grenades and water cannons to fight the rioters who rampaged through the corridors of power until they were finally subdued.
Newly inaugurated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the veteran leftist who narrowly won Brazil’s bitter and divisive October elections, condemned the invasions as a “fascist” attack.
Meanwhile, the far-right Bolsonaro condemned the “looting and invasion of public buildings” in a tweet. But the politician, nicknamed the “Tropical Trump”, rejected Lula’s claim that he incited the attacks and defended the right to “peaceful demonstrations”.
Lula, who was in the southeastern city of Araraquara visiting a region affected by severe flooding, signed a decree declaring a federal intervention, giving his government special powers over local police to restore law and order. in the capital.
“These fanatic fascists have done something that has never been seen before in the history of this country,” said the veteran leftist, who took office a week ago.
“We will find out who these vandals are and they will be taken down with the full force of the law.”
The president then flew back to Brasilia to tour the looted buildings and oversee the response, Brazil’s TV Globo reported.
Police have made 170 arrests, according to news reports.
Television footage showed police leading Bolsonaro supporters up the ramp of the Planalto presidential palace in single file, the same ramp Lula climbed a week earlier at his inauguration.
The Senate security service said it had arrested 30 people in the chamber.
Brasilia security chief fired
The chaos ensued after a sea of protesters dressed in military-style camouflage and the green and yellow of the flag flooded Brasilia’s Three Powers Square, invaded the congressional floor, vandalized the supreme court building and climbed the ramp to the Planalto.
Social media footage showed rioters breaking doors and windows to gain entry to the Capitol building, then storming in, vandalizing offices and using the sloping speaker’s dais on the Senate floor as a slide as they yelled insults directed at lawmakers. missing.
Protesters damaged works of art, historical objects, and furniture and decorations as they ran through buildings, according to Brazilian media reports.
One video showed a crowd outside pulling a police officer off his horse and slamming him to the ground.
The police, who had established a security cordon around the square, fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the rioters, initially without success.
A journalists’ union said at least five reporters were attacked, including an AFP photographer who was beaten by protesters and had his equipment stolen.
Bolsonaro’s hardliners have been protesting outside military bases calling for military intervention to prevent Lula from taking power since his electoral victory.
Lula’s government promised to find and arrest those who planned and financed the attacks.
Brasilia Governor Ibaneis Rocha has fired the capital’s public security chief, Anderson Torres, who previously served as Bolsonaro’s justice minister.
The attorney general’s office said it had asked the supreme court to issue arrest warrants for Torres “and all other public officials responsible for acts and omissions” that led to the riots.
He also asked the high court to authorize the use of “all public security forces” to retake federal buildings and disperse anti-government protests across the country.
‘Fraudulent election’
Protester Sarah Lima said they were demanding a review of the “rigged election.”
Lula won the second round by a narrow margin with a score of 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent. Bolsonaro, who left for the US state of Florida on the penultimate day of his term, has alleged that he is the victim of a conspiracy against him by Brazil’s courts and electoral authorities.
“I am here for history, for my daughters,” said Lima, wearing the yellow jersey of the Brazilian soccer team, a symbol that Bolsonaro supporters have claimed as their own, and protesting with her little twin daughters.
Another protester, Rogerio Souza Marcos, said the election had been plagued by “multiple signs of fraud and corruption.”
The newly installed Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flavio Dino, described the invasion as “an absurd attempt to impose [the protesters’] will by force.
“Will not prevail,” he wrote on Twitter.
There was swift international condemnation of the protesters.
The United Nations said it “vehemently condemns” the attacks.
US President Joe Biden called the scenes “scandalous”, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted his “absolute condemnation” and French President Emmanuel Macron called for respect for Brazil’s institutions and sent Lula ” the unwavering support of France”.
Even Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the riots.
A host of Latin American leaders joined in, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric decrying a “cowardly and vile attack on democracy” and Mexican Andrés Manuel López Obrador calling it a “reprehensible coup attempt”. — AFP
