Brazil’s new president, Lula da Silva, vows to hold accountable ‘fascist’ Bolsonaro supporters who stormed Brazil’s Congress – mirroring Trump-inspired January 6th invasion of US Capitol, insisting election was ‘stolen’
Brazil new President Lula da Silva has vowed to hunt down and punish ‘fascist’ Bolsonaro supporters who stormed Brazil’s Congress in the capital Brasilia on Sunday
An estimated 3,000 people stormed Brazil’s Congress on Sunday in protest of left-wing President Lula’s win
The protesters, right-wing supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro believe the election was ‘stolen’
Emerging footage of the chaos is reminiscence of the Trump-inspired January 6th invasion of US Capitol in 2021
They believe President Lula’s victory was stolen from his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro a right-wing politician
Bolsonaro the loser in the tight election that went to a runoff, left Brazil for Florida 48 hours before the Jan 1, inauguration
His supporters had been demanding that the military get involved in the row before the violent scenes
Thousands of people invaded the Congress building, the Supreme Court, as well as the presidential palace while setting of smoke flares in the streets
President Lula da Silva has branded the protestors ‘vandals and fascists’, and has sworn to hunt them down and mete out justice
Newly sworn-in Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has branded protestors who stormed Congress as ‘vandals and fascists’ – with the scenes being similar to that of Trump supporters January 6 take-over.
The supporters of far-right ex-President Jair Bolsonaro who descended on the nation’s capital Brasilia on Monday, invaded the Congress building, the Supreme Court, as well as the presidential palace calling for the military to overthrow current President Luiz Inacio.
Inacio, a Left-wing veteran politician and former two-term president, has only been in power for a week, after being inaugurated a week ago, but supporters of the his predecessor claim the election was stolen.
Footage of the chaotic scenes in Brasilia bore eerie similarity to the scenes of right wing activists storming the US Capitol building on January 6th, 2021, after claims by former President Donald Trump that the election he lost to Joe Biden was instead stolen.
The vociferous protesters surged their way into the buildings, smashing windows as they forced their way into the Congress building, the Supreme Court and presidential palace.
Reacting to the debacle, President da Silva remarked that there was ‘no precedent in the history of our country’ and called the violence the ‘acts of vandals and fascists’. He is currently on an official state trip in São Paulo.
Supporters of Bolsonaro can be seen breaking through the barriers and entering the building. It comes after da Silva, known as Lula, defeated far-right Bolsonaro in an October election.
Others demonstrators were gathering outside the presidential palace and Supreme Court, although it was not immediately clear whether they had managed to break into the buildings.
Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting against Lula da Silva’s electoral win since October 30. Shocking footage shows how gangs of protestors assaulted a police officer arriving the scene on horseback, throwing him off his mount to the ground.
Local media have estimated that 3,000 donning yellow and green T-shirts and holding Brazilian flags, people are involved in the protests.
Police deploying tear gas, did nothing to to deter the protestors who had been blocking roads, setting vehicles on fires and congregating outside military buildings, asking armed forces to intervene in the election.
Lula was not in the capital as the chaos unfolded. The president who was in Sao Paulo, came on live TV, and he was clearly angry and gave stern warnings to the rioters.
He called them fascists, ultra-rightists and said that this vandalism is unprecedented in Brazil’s history. He laid blame for the action of the rioters squarely on the shoulders of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula blamed the mayhem on his opponent – it was his rhetoric that goaded his supporters into these actions.
Ex-president Bolsonaro never conceded loss, and his supporters say that the election was rigged and his mandate stolen, despite there being no proof of electoral malfeasance.
Those who broke into the building are also accused of attacking police vehicles which secured the building, as well as protection barriers.
Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida 48 hours before the end of his mandate, repeatedly questioned, without evidence, the credibility of the country’s electronic voting system.
Protesters have climbed a ramp which gives access to the roof of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate buildings.
Lula’s Workers Party asked the office of the top public prosecutor to order public security forces to act in containing the demonstrators.
Many of the protestors were seen roaming free in the presidential palace, and it appeared that the number of security personnel inside the building were limited.
Lula’s Workers Party asked the office of the top public prosecutor to order public security forces to act in containing the demonstrators.
Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida 48 hours before the end of his mandate – repeatedly questioned, without evidence, the credibility of the country’s electronic voting system.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino said: ‘This absurd attempt to impose their will by force will not prevail.
‘The government of the Federal District has ensured there will be reinforcements. And the forces at our disposal are at work.’
Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco added that he was in permanent contact with Brasilia’s governor, Ibaneis Rocha, and that the entire police apparatus had been mobilized to control the situation.
Bolsonaro has not yet condemned or commented on the ongoing situation.
Bolsonaro is not in the country. He left for Florida, days before Lula’s inauguration, which was, as you said, just one week ago, in the same exact spot in Brasilia. Bolsonaro is in Florida, and it’s unclear whether or when he is coming back to Brazil.
Lula has appointed a new head of security for the federal district, the capitol, and he said that the new head of security will be reporting directly to him.
Leave a Reply